A Spectral Memory Untouched
by Hermione Potter452
Summary: "Did you ever see me and say strange things to me when you went to visit your dad?" I denied that I had, maybe too quickly. "Makes sense. Of all things, I think I would've remembered you." He looked me up and down appreciatively as I thought of the irony.
1. His name is Ian Hayes

**A/N: HI! it's the sequel to ****A Subtle Touch Unseen****, guys! (if you haven't read ASTU, please do so before you read this story to prevent major degrees of confusion. haha.) i'm so excited! though, i am sad that Alec isn't...you know. here. with me. now, i'm not gonna bore you with my long-arse author's notes today. but... THANK YOU: to Des, Elizabeth, marIssa, and Amandarrr! they're awesome! and Addison. Molly Raesly. you = my host, my everything...me. haha. thanks so much for help throughout this entire series, making my banners (whose links are on my author's page), giving me titles, putting up with my stupidness and lack of ability to title anything i do! love you! love all of you! sorry for that lie at the beginning of my author's note about its length. now. ENJOY!**

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Chapter 1: "His name is Ian Hayes."

I took in my surroundings, trying to figure out where exactly I was. I was in a room with poorly painted walls, two ugly doors, three chairs scattered around, a metal framed bed, and a 19-year-old boy who had total custody of my heart, but had not a single memory of receiving it.

I didn't remember ordering it to, but I felt my legs start to retreat backwards. I tried to force my eyes away from his confused face, but they wouldn't comply. Worry began to cross his face.

His deep voice broke through the steady beeping of his heartbeat that echoed off of the walls and the voices of the nurses still struggling to get the door open. "Hey, are you alright?"

The pain that pulsed through me caused a reaction of tears running agonizingly slowly down my already moist cheeks. I shut my eyes in a vain attempt to calm myself enough to reply to him. It was a lot harder to speak to him than I thought it would be. I didn't even know what to say.

The only words that came out of my mouth were, "Forget it." Ironic.

The nurses – and now my father – had finally countered my spells on the door and were only stopped by the chair under the knob, now. I only had a few more seconds. That was all I could take, anyway. I took my last seconds staring into his eyes, willing him to remember. To remember me. It seemed like luck didn't feel like backing me up this time.

With a last sniff and a muttered goodbye at the empty face that I'd never see again, I Apparated back to the entrance gate of Hogwarts.

The freezing cold wind bit at my wet cheeks as I trudged my way up to the castle, through the snow on the ground. Halfway through my journey, my legs decided they couldn't take it any more than my mind could, and broke down from underneath me. My knees landed in the snow while I sobbed into my hands.

How could he not remember? Just because it was his spirit who had met me, and not his body, didn't mean he wouldn't have any memory of me whatsoever, right? How could he have forgotten every single memory of me and our time together? We spent practically every day together for an entire month! How could every memory from the past 33 days vanish, just like that? Every spoken word, every meaningful glance, every subtle touch: gone. How could he forget?

He promised not to forget.

I don't know how long I sat there crying in the middle of the snowy school grounds. It was just about when I thought I was going to get frost bite when I felt strong, comforting arms around me. I hadn't even heard footsteps approaching me, prior to the wrapping of the person's arms around my shivering torso.

By the sound of his hushing tones, I could tell who it was. "Jenyse," a very concerned Remus whispered, "what are you doing out here?" It was too difficult for me to speak, because of my trembling from my sobs and the freezing air and snow all around me.

Through chattering teeth, I managed to say, "N-nothing. Wh-what are _you_ d-doing out h-here?" into the front of his cloak.

"I was in the Entrance Hall when I saw you collapse out here. I ran over to see if you were okay. What's wrong, Jenyse? And don't tell me that nothing is wrong, because I won't buy it. You haven't been yourself lately and you've got everybody worried."

I pulled my head back to look at him through my tears. All of a sudden, guilt joined my sadness. I could see the worry and confusion in his face as though the words were written in green across his forehead. I shouldn't be shutting all my friends out when my problems aren't even their fault. It wasn't right. The right thing to do would be to apologize to Remus – and everyone else – and explain to them my situation. I should explain what was wrong with me and let them understand that I knew my behavior toward and around them was wrong.

I looked straight into Remus's eyes and opened my mouth to reply honestly, this time…but the words wouldn't come out. It was like my vocal chords decided to give up on me just then. A big shiver ran down my spine when I realized why.

Remus, who had been ready to hear out my full confession, lost a little interest in what I had to say and became more worried about my physical state. He looked down at my clothes. Finding that I had barely anything warm on, he took off his cloak and wrapped it around me. I shook my head in protest – he didn't have anything warm on either – but he ignored it and helped me stand up. He kept me tucked under his arm, and I snuggled into his side as he led me to the castle.

Even if I didn't have the guts to apologize for my recent behavior, I wanted to at least apologize for not being able to explain everything to him and the rest of my friends. I felt horrible for them having to deal with me. They didn't deserve it at all.

Walking through the halls, up to the seventh floor, the two of us got weirded-out and confused looks shot at us by every bystander we passed. When the whispers started, the moment we stepped into the Entrance Hall, Remus's arm grew protectively tighter around me. I was glad that even though he was probably incredibly pissed off at me, he still loved me enough to want to protect me from the pitiless gossiping students of our school.

When we finally got to the top of the staircase on the seventh floor, I untangled myself from Remus. I was pretty sure he understood that I didn't want to face any other Marauders or Travis or Lily. I gave his cloak back. I gave him a thankful then an apologizing glance. Remus sighed, stepped forward to give me a hug and a kiss on the top of my head, then headed to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

I turned and headed to the Room of Requirement. I made the room just like I usually did. The way _we_ usually did. I stepped into the room, and suddenly it wasn't as comforting as it used to be. No, not without him there. The lack of solace from the normally comforting room made the feeling of loneliness intensify inside of me.

I curled up on the familiar couch where so many memories had been created. I couldn't help but be sadly reminded that I was the only person who would ever have knowledge of those once-shared memories.

Every part of me ached for him. My eyes ached to see his smile. My ears ached to hear his laugh. My nose ached to smell his distinct scent. My arms ached to wrap around and hold him. My lips ached to be pressed against his. My heart ached to have him back in my presence.

I always used to think it was completely stupid when a girl in a book or a film said they couldn't live without the guy they supposedly loved. And now just look at me. I don't think there had ever been a greater form of hypocrisy than mine.

I knew I was acting as though he actually _had_ died, but to me, it was verging on being almost the same thing. I knew I would never get the chance to see him again. If I wasn't ever going to see him, how could I ever get the chance to rebuild the relationship I had with his spirit – his soul? All I could do now was be happy that he was alive and could live a life undoubtedly better than one where only one person in the world could see you.

I bet I would have stayed trapped in that room, wallowing away, and eventually drown myself in my tears that were still flowing like the Atlantic, if I hadn't come to one grounding realization. It was silly to cry my life away in the Room of Requirement…

…when the room couldn't give me the sole thing I required.

I got up and left the room without looking back. I walked slowly toward the common room, thinking of how I was going to avoid James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Travis, and Lily. As much as I knew they didn't deserve my behavior towards them and as much as I kept telling myself that I was a horrible friend to be treating them that way, I still just couldn't tell them anything.

I kept trying to convince myself that I wasn't explaining myself to all of my friends because I knew that they wouldn't understand and that I didn't want their meaningless pity. But deep down, I knew that the real reason behind my vow of silence was because I was sure that if I said it out loud, it would be true; real.

I couldn't let it be real.

For days I lived in denial. Denial became my friend. Denial was my own form of comfort. No one and nothing else could provide me with comfort, as hard as they tried. Pranks and jokes came from James, Sirius, and Peter, pep-talks came from Remus, hugs came from Travis, girl-talks came from Lily (like that would _ever_ work), and coffee came from the Room of Requirement. Still, my denial kept my spirit the highest – well, as high as it could go in my situation, anyway.

But eventually, Denial couldn't hold me up much longer. Denial turned into Doubt. The doubt flooded through me and numbed me. Unlike Denial, who brought hopeful, alternative possibilities, Doubt caused hopeless, ambiguous questions to arise.

What if none of it had happened? What if all of it was just my imagination running wild? Did I create a dream? Was he a fantasy? How could I even be sure that any of it was real? There was no solid proof that any of it had occurred. There was no solid proof that he even existed.

But then, Denial came back to rub in my face that the letters he had left me, hidden in my trunk – along with that first outfit that he had seen me in – were clear enough proof that he had indeed existed. But that didn't mean that the last events in my memory of him were real. No. It couldn't be true.

And so, for the next whole month, I spoke not a word about the reasons for my mood to my friends. Throughout that entire month, Denial and Doubt fought back and forth, battling for dominance.

~*~

"Come on, Jenyse! That's the fourth goal you've missed and we're only half an hour into practice!" James yelled across the Quidditch field. He flew over to me and put his hands on either side of my face, forcing me to look at him. "Jenyse, focus for me. Please."

I sighed. What the hell was wrong with me? "You're right. I'm sorry, James." I took a deep breath and gave him a small reassuring smile.

"So, you good?"

"Mmhmm." I nodded.

He smiled and patted my cheek lightly. "Good. I mean, I know you haven't been feeling well lately, but…you don't want to lose to _Hufflepuff_, do you?"

For the first time in a month, I let out a _real_ laugh. All other laughs that came out of me had been forced. It felt good to really laugh again.

James flew away from me after shooting me one last smirk. I took a deep breath and gave my all to focus on what we were practicing. To my great relief – and the whole team's, too – I managed to remember all of the new plays James taught us and even _make_ the shots I took. It took a lot of my power to focus solely on Quidditch, but I did it. I even had some laughs while doing so. Sirius almost hit James with a Bludger, at one point during practice, and James flipped out on him. His yelling speech included witty insults at Hufflepuff and dramatic inquiries like, "What if I got injured? How would you expect to win against those cheerful, idiotic, yellow wankers?"

By the time practice was over, I had a genuine smile resting comfortably on my lips. For the first time, I was comforted by my friends. I guess it was pretty clear, because James and Sirius noticed and walked with their arms around me to the Great Hall for dinner.

I watched as Remus's head snapped up to look at us walk in, joking around and laughing. The hugest of smiles spread across his face and he got up to give me an enormous hug.

I reveled in the feeling of happiness around me from my friends. I missed it so much. I don't know what triggered the better mood in me, but it was like someone just flipped a switch in me. Of course, the pain was still there. It was just on the backburner now. And I felt good about it. Just a month had passed. Imagine how much I would recover after even more months. All of a sudden, hope sparked in me. Even if I couldn't have exactly what I wanted – no, _needed_ – at least I could still be considerably happy in the company of my friends.

Later that night, when we got to the Common Room, I ran into Travis's arms with that smile still plastered on my face. He laughed heartily and kissed the top of my head. He also whispered, "It's good to have my best friend back."

Finally, things were seeming to get bearable, if not better.

~*~

"You are so _stupid_, the word _special_ comes to mind," I said, chuckling at Sirius's stupidity.

He shoved me a little away from him, scowling. "Hey! How was I supposed to know that the poor thing would turn into a pair of granny knickers if I put the accent on the wrong syllable of the incantation? And that's not a very nice thing to say, Sylly."

I shrugged with a smirk. "Some days you're the dog, some days you're the hydrant." I doubled over with laughter at the unintentional double meaning of that statement.

Sirius tore his eyes away from the knickers laying on the table in front of us to glare at me. I tried to stop laughing, but only because of the glare I was also getting from McGonagall. I put my hand over my mouth, which only sent all the air from laughing to my nose, causing me to snort every few seconds.

Sirius didn't bother to lower his voice much when he said, "You know, I bet Minnie keeps these knickers and uses them, just so she has a memory of me." McGonagall shot another glare in our direction. I'm not sure that she actually _heard_ what Sirius had said. Then again, I could be wrong….

I did my best to ignore his use of the word, 'memory.' "Pfft, tchyeah…right. Like she'd ever let any property of yours touch her down there – or anywhere, for that matter – whether it be a part of you or not."

"Hey!" Sirius retorted. "She loves me, and she knows it. She's just living in denial."

I closed my eyes at that word. Ignore it, Jenyse. "Sure she is, Sirius," I sighed.

"Oh, I know. Dumbledore's got nothing on me!" he exclaimed, standing up and making a show of flexing his muscles. It wasn't hard to notice every girl in the class sigh at the sight of him.

I rolled my eyes and pulled him back down, into his seat, before McGonagall could turn around and blow up at us. As Sirius plopped back into his seat, there was a knock on the door of the classroom. All heads turned to the back of the room.

The door creaked open and revealed the one and only Dumbledore behind it.

I snorted loudly at the coincidence and at the look on Sirius's face. It seemed he took back what he said just a moment ago. Oh, Sirius.

"Yes, Headmaster?" McGonagall asked.

"Minerva, I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but may I extract Ms. Baccari from your class, please?"

All heads turned to me, probably all wondering the same as me: what would Dumbledore want with me?

"Absolutely. Ms. Baccari, please get the assignment from a classmate later today."

I nodded and gathered my things. As I walked down the aisle, I heard each of the Marauders let out a "dun dun _dun_." I made a face back at them and left the room.

Dumbledore thanked McGonagall and closed the door behind me. He turned to me and smiled reassuringly. "No worries, Jenyse. You're certainly not in trouble." I sighed in slight relief. I didn't _think_ I had done anything wrong. He started walking and motioned for me to follow him. "I suppose I should fill you in on our way down to the Entrance Hall. Your father is here–"

"My dad's here?" I cut him off, completely caught off guard. What would my father be doing here, right now?

"Yes, he is." Dumbledore seemed to read my mind – I wouldn't be surprised if he actually _did_ – when he said, "Don't worry. Nothing's wrong. Your family and everything is fine."

Pure relief flooded through me. Thank Merlin, everything was okay. So, what the hell was my father doing at Hogwarts?

I voiced that question – minus the minor swear – to Dumbledore. I was incredibly confused.

By now, we had already reached the top of the staircase leading into the empty Entrance Hall, other than my father. Like all other times, seeing him made me realize how much I missed him.

"Ah, maybe you can just ask him yourself," Dumbledore suggested.

I ran down the rest of the stairs, to my dad, who engulfed me in a huge hug.

"Hey, Jeneesy! How are you?" he greeted me, ruffling up my curly hair, which I had gotten from him.

"Alright." So it was a slight lie; sue me. "What are you doing here?"

He moved his hands to hold either side of my upper arms and looked down at me carefully. "Alright, so, I need you to do me a favor, Jenyse."

My eyebrows drew together. "Yeah, sure. Couldn't you have just asked me in a letter or something?"

His eyes darted quickly to the side then back at me. "Well, uh, no. It's a bit more complicated than that." He pulled me a little ways away from Dumbledore and the student – huh…funny; I hadn't noticed another student in the room – I heard him quietly talking to. I ignored them completely, focusing on my dad. "You see, one of my patients goes to school here, and he's a little disoriented."

My eyes snapped wide open at what my father just said. No. It couldn't be. Begging Merlin for it not to be what I thought, I slowly turned my head in the direction of Dumbledore and the student he was talking to.

I vaguely heard my father say the exact words I was dreading he would say.

"He just came out of his coma of two years last month. His name is Ian Hayes."

That was all I could bear to hear. I blocked out all of the noises in the room, not even sure if my dad was saying anything else.

My eyes finally settled on a pair of painfully familiar hazel-green eyes.

At the moment my eyes fell on him, that well-known son of a bitch called pain returned to its residence in all of me. Any wounds that I had managed to heal over the past month burst open with a new full force. I was frozen and numbed with pain.

It was Ian Hayes. There was no doubt about it. He looked a little different from how he looked at the hospital, but it was unmistakably him. His hair was cut to how Alec's was and he looked more…alive than when he first woke up. But those deep, hazel-green eyes and that unforgettable smile of his were just as they always were.

A shake from my father brought me back around.

"Jenyse, are you okay?" my dad asked, concerned.

I full-out lied this time, and nodded, unable to speak.

"Good. Now, let me introduce the two of you before I fill you in on the details."

There was no possible way I could back out of it. I was trapped; trapped between the pain, my father, and Ian Hayes.

"Ian, come over here and meet my daughter."

My eyes grew even larger at the memory of the kiss I gave him when he woke up. What if he remembered? Would he call me out on it? What would my dad think if he found out that I was the one who had locked the door to his room? What if he had already told him? Oh, no.

If he _had_ told my father, neither of them showed any sign of it.

Ian finally reached us and my dad put one of his hands on his shoulder. "Ian, this is my youngest daughter, Jenyse. Jenyse, this is my former coma-patient."

I tried to smile, but I think it may have come out as a grimace. Seeing Alec's smile on Ian's face was just too much. I looked away from him, unable to take it any longer.

It was a short, awkward silence before my dad finally said, "Alright, well, Ian. Why don't you and Professor Dumbledore go check out your dorm? When you come back, we'll just settle the last-minute things."

"Sure thing, Healer B."

The pain pulsed through me at the sound of his voice. It was exactly the same as Alec's.

Ian and Dumbledore headed to Ravenclaw Tower, leaving me alone with my father.

"Dad, why is he here? Isn't he a little too old to be going to school?" I asked, desperate to get myself out of this particular situation in any way possible.

"He got into his coma on Christmas Day of his seventh year. He never got to finish the rest of the year or graduate. He told me he wants to be a professional Quidditch player, but I told him that he should finish school anyway, just so he can get another job if that one doesn't work out."

Wait a minute. No he doesn't! He wants to be a Healer! Like my dad!

…No. _Alec_ wants to be a Healer. Not Ian.

"So, Jenyse. I need you to be his…buddy, sort of." This couldn't be happening. "Normally, it would have taken months for him to recover from the effects of the coma, even with the use of magic and potions. We think that his quick recovery was due to the fact that he had gotten into a coma while in freezing cold water. Muggle and wizard studies have shown that cooling of the body can help preserve the brain functions and give you a higher percent of recovery. That's why we never…pulled the magic plug, if you will. He has no family, so everything was our call."

I tried to absorb all of this information that he was throwing at me. It was almost too much to take in.

"His body had already sort of shut down and preserved its vital body and brain functions. Over the past month, we've just been giving him a few potions for healing and strength. He's still got a month or two left of potion taking. I've talked to Madam Pomfrey and Professor Slughorn about the potions he needs."

"Dad, why are you telling _me_ all of this?" I asked, not believing that this could be real.

Ian Hayes. Here. At Hogwarts? Right now? And for the duration of the rest of the year? No. Impossible.

I had been so convinced that the day at the hospital was going to be the last time I was ever going to see him.

_Impossible_.

My dad looked a little uncomfortable before he spoke again. "I, uh, just need you to keep an eye on him for me. I've already talked to Dumbledore. Ian is going to be in all of your classes. It would really be a big help if you walked with him to each class, just in case something happens."

That was just going too far. I'd have to see him every single day. There was no way of avoiding it.

"And Dumbledore is also going to have James tutor Ian for a little while so he can catch up. He's a month behind."

"James? As in my James?" No bloody way.

"Yes, Jenyse. James Potter. He's Head Boy. Who else would be better to tutor him? Well, other than Lily Evans; but I think James and Ian would get along well."

This could not be happening.

"Now, Jenyse," he eyed me carefully and nervously, "this is the biggest favor of them all."

Uh-oh.

"I need you to give Ian weekly check-ups."

My eyes grew huge with fear. That was the one thing that could make this situation even worse. Check-ups would mean only the two of us in a room. That was more than I could handle.

"Oh, Jenyse, don't give me that look. There won't be any blood involved. I promise."

Oh, no. I hadn't even taken blood into account. I opened my mouth to retort, but he cut me off with a stern look.

"Please, Jenyse. I need you to do this for me. And no, Madam Pomfrey can't just do it. I don't want Ian to have to go to the Hospital Wing all the time, and Madam Pomfrey can't leave the Wing, either. I want him to live a life that's as normal as possible. This way, if you do it, he'll be more comfortable and it won't feel like he's being trapped in a hospital bed 24/7, like he's been for the past two years." He paused to pull out a roll of parchment from the inside of his robes. "I've written down all of the things I want you to do at each check-up and what to record. Just follow what I wrote and owl me your recordings after each check-up. And, Jenyse?" I looked up at him, preparing for the worst. "There's no way for you to back out of this."

Great. I tried to keep my cool as I took the parchment from him, but my hand was shaking too much for me to pass as nonchalant.

"Thank you, Jenyse. And even with his quick recovery, he will still have a few of the effects. He's not exactly _fully_ recovered. He's already gotten over his very small difficulty of speech. He's just going to have a little trouble with physical things. Two years is a very long time to not use your muscles. He's getting better quickly, but the struggle is still there. You'll have to let him take his time walking around and going up and down stairs. You might want to help him with his books, too, sometimes. _Jenyse_," he added in a tone of warning at the look of incredulity on my face. "And, Jenyse, he'll have trouble remembering things, for a while."

I looked up at him, finally interested in something my dad said. "What types of things will he have trouble remembering? Names? People? Places?" Everything affiliated with me? Ding ding ding! Give the girl a prize.

I mentally rolled my eyes. There was no need for me to be snarky at myself.

Again, he eyed me carefully and maybe even worriedly. "Don't worry, Jenyse. He's not a mental patient or anything. His short term memory is pretty consistent. You won't have to repeat things constantly. The worst it could be would be his forgetting assignments or lessons. Just try to be patient – which, for you, will be quite a task, I know."

I didn't bother getting angry at that comment. Not only was I used to my dad's playful insults, but there were more important matters to talk about than my patience – or lack thereof. "What about his long term memory? Will he ever remember the things that happened a long time ago? You know, before his coma?" I watched my dad, hopeful.

The hope sank when he sighed heavily. A sad look came across his face. "He suffered a head trauma, Jenyse. Most people…well, most people don't ever recover from that. It's thanks to Merlin that he even survived at all. Magic can only go so far. "

"So, he might _never_ remember what happened before the coma?"

My poor father. He was probably totally flabbergasted at all my sudden inquiries. His tone turned comforting. "There's always a chance. But only just."

I looked up at him. "How big of a chance?"

My father looked back down at my eager and hopeful eyes for a while, pondering on what was best to say. Finally, he took a deep breath and said, "Jenyse, I think it's best for that boy to focus on the present instead of the past. He's been through a lot. Ian's a nice guy – and not too shabby in the looks department, either. Who knows? Maybe my little Jeneesy will end up liking him." He nudged me playfully in the ribs.

Shot to the heart. I hung my head down, avoiding his eyes. "I dunno, Dad. How can I be with a guy who might not even remember me one day?"

"Hey," he reprimanded as he ruffled up my hair, "be nice."

I sighed. "The fact that I'm actually agreeing to this is proof that I'm always nice."

A smile graced my father's tired face. "Thank you, Jenyse." He embraced me lovingly and murmured, "I owe you. Remember that."

I let out a humorless laugh. "Course I'll remember, Dad."

After all, now, remembering is all that I can do.

~*~  
**A/N: REVIEW PLEASE!**


	2. What? I'm just returning the favor

**(old A/N) A/N: HI! look! it's an update! i hope you guys are enjoying this sequel. i'm trying hard to write it quicker, but it's not quite working, so sorry for the long wait. haha. THANKS: des, megan, marIssa, and amdandarrr! and THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to addison! Molly Raesly. ahh. she's the reason why this chapter is out right now. i got stuck so many times in this chapter, it's ridiculous. and she helped me right out of the writer's block. go read all of her stories! **

**and THANKS TO YOU for reading and reviewing! now, on with the show!**

~*~  
Chapter 2: "What? I'm just returning the favor."

I leaned against the door frame of the large oak wood doors of the Entrance Hall as I watched my father leave down the school grounds, accompanied by Dumbledore. I couldn't stop the feeling of abandonment that ran through me. Even though I knew I always had my friends when I was at school, I felt as though he was leaving me here, all alone, with a huge responsibility on my hands.

It didn't help much that the responsibility he left me with was taking care of Ian Hayes, the boy who didn't have one memory of my falling in love with his spirit.

I watched helplessly as my dad Disapparated from outside of the gate entrance that allowed outsiders access to our school. There was no escaping now. I was trapped.

I didn't want to, but I didn't have a choice; I turned to face him.

Ian was standing awkwardly to the side, with his hands in his pockets and his head down. He was tracing the lines in the floor with the toe of his shoe. My heart warmed slightly at his innocence.

I cleared my throat and caught his attention. His head snapped up and he looked at me expectantly with raised brows. "So…" I started, unsure of what exactly to say, "welcome back." Lame, Jenyse. I watched as he really took in my appearance for the first time.

A mischievous glint was in his eye while a small smirk grew across his lips. "So, you're my own personal nurse, huh?"

I blushed stupidly. I did _not_ want to do this. "Uhh," I said, feeling awkward, "I've got to get to class." I gave him a forced fleeting and fake smile, and turned to leave. I could feel his eyes following me intently as I climbed the staircase.

I prayed that he wouldn't follow me. No. He wouldn't. He had to wait for Dumbledore to give him an instruction on what to do. Please, Ian. Don't follow me. Settle in. Go eat. Relax. Lie down. Hell, go to the bathroom. Anything, but follow me.

To my great discomfort, I heard his footsteps catching up to me. I shut my eyes, took a deep breath, and kept walking. He sauntered alongside me, evening his strides with mine. I peered at him out of the corner of my eye. He was taking in all of his surroundings as though they were new to him. I couldn't imagine having only a foggy memory of Hogwarts. It was like a second home to all of us here. Or maybe he did remember it, but was just taking it all in for the first time in two years. Not that it had felt like two years to him. I don't think….

"You know, you really should've waited for Dumbledore to come back to the Entrance Hall," I notified him, desperate to get him off my back. The entire month after that fateful day at St. Mungo's was bad enough. Now, I had a reminder right in front of me of those dreadful events. Merlin, can't you just show mercy?

"I did. He got back the second you started up the stairs. He said I could go wherever I wanted," he said, lightheartedly. He seemed so at ease. Life was somewhat normal for him, now. He didn't have anything to worry about.

"And you _wanted_ to go with me?" I asked, doubtingly. "Good joke."

I felt his eye on me. He smirked and abruptly changed the subject. "So…how old are you? You're a seventh year, right?"

"Nope. First. Didn't my dad tell you? You've got to start school from the very beginning."

His reevaluating my wit was so familiar. It was all the same: his raised brow, his eyes raking me up and down. "Good joke," he mimicked me.

It was hard not to show my attraction to him. Of course, the attraction wasn't even toward _him_; it was all for Alec. Every little Alec-like quirk that Ian let out gave me mixed feelings; pained, plaintive, and pining, heartened, happy, and hopeful. And after every Alec-like moment, I was left solely confused.

"Alright, I'll guess. You're 18."

"I hope you know I don't take Divination. Must be a bummer, huh? You poor psychic, you." Why, oh, why does the wit involuntarily come out of my stupid mouth when I'm stressed? It's one thing for him to be following me around and talking to me. But his "subtle" moves closer to me were driving me nuts. Could he have been anymore obvious about his physical attraction to me? Each time he came closer to me, I took a larger step away from him. I didn't exactly want to, but I had to. This wasn't Alec. I'd never been so drowned in multiple emotions at once. I decided to try my hardest to stop being so dryly sarcastic.

"What classes do you have, then?" He prepared himself for the line of torture he probably thought he would have to go through until June.

I replied as curtly as possible, without sounding rude. "Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, Arithmancy, and Herbology."

He visibly relaxed. "Thank Merlin. Those are all of the good classes." Damn straight! Dare he think anything else of my choices of courses? "Are any of the professors different from when I was here?"

"Defense, of course. The curse of that spot is going to go down in history. No doubt. Our professor this year, Jenkins, is brilliant. He's really laidback for a teacher. And he's young, too, so he makes his lessons pretty enjoyable."

Ian nodded his understanding and approval. "Hey!" The excitement in his voice made me turn to look at him curiously. "Do you play Quidditch?" Figures. Boys with their brooms and balls. I may vomit.

"Chaser," I answered.

"I'm a Keeper. I'm looking to play professionally."

I was so close to slipping and saying, "I know." Luckily, I saved myself. It was right then, when we finally reached McGonagall's room that the hallways flooded with students. Brilliant. Now we have to turn around and go back downstairs and to the dungeons. How convenient. Ian looked at me expectantly. Realizing that I wasn't _quite_ ready for the Marauders – who (minus poor Remus, who was a day away from transforming) were about to come out of the room – to meet him, I led Ian a little further down the hall in the wrong direction. I looked back and waited until they were out of sight, then turned back around.

Ian gave me a what-the-hell-did-you-do-that-for look, but followed without prompt. I brought him into the Transfiguration classroom so that he and McGonagall could get reacquainted. She greeted him warmly, informed him that he was a little behind on the studies, then rushed us out so we wouldn't be late to my – _our_ – next class.

Walking through the halls along with the huge body of students, the two of us received many a weird look. It bothered me. Why was I always the one getting looks from my peers? I didn't know how, but Ian seemed to ignore them all easily, and kept up with the Twenty Questions.

"So…call me stupid, but you don't seem to be all that thrilled about this plump assignment you've been given."

I kept silent and he understood that I wasn't. It must have been pretty clear. I wasn't exactly jumping for joy in front of him.

"Did your dad ever have conversations with you about me before I woke up?" he inquired as he ran his hand through his hair. My hand twitched to do the same, but I clenched the strap of my bag to prevent it.

Okay. Random. Where'd that come from? "Um, no."

"Huh…" was all he said in response. There was a short, awkward pause between us before he spoke again. "Question: is it true Healer B. used to talk to me while I was in the coma?"

I glanced up at his curious face. Smirking at the oddity of it, I nodded.

He made a face. "So, did you ever see me and say strange things into my ear when you went to visit your dad?" I denied that I had, maybe a little too quickly. Luckily he didn't catch my lie. "Ah. Well, that makes sense. Of all things, I think I'd remember _you_." His looking me up and down appreciatively would have been completely flattering and even amusing if the irony in that statement didn't exist.

I turned my head down and let my hair cover my face so that he couldn't see me blush profusely. I wasn't sure whether I liked his obvious attraction toward me or not. I don't think anybody else's life, in the whole world, could be as confusing as mine. Is this what I get for avoiding drama with girls for 18 years?

I breathed an audible sigh of relief when we got to the door of the Potions classroom. I heard him chuckle as I rushed into the room. I went straight up to Slughorn to inform him of the situation.

"Ah!" he boomed, making a few of the people in the first rows jump a little. "He's here already? Fantastic! Ian, m'boy! Come in!"

Every single person in the room turned in unison to see what was going on…except me. I stayed facing forward, willing myself to act – and breathe – normally. I could picture him sauntering up the aisle with his confident look upon his face. Whispers erupted from all of my classmates. A bunch of girls sighed, and it made me want to punch something. Or someone.

Ian came to a stop right beside me. I could feel him looking down at me, but I didn't bother looking up. He chuckled again at my behavior, then turned to shake hands with Slughorn.

"Ahh! Ian Hayes. It's good to have you back!"

"Thanks, Professor," he answered simply. I was probably the only one who noticed that he hadn't answered with the common reply of, "It's good to be back."

Feeling completely awkward, I left and went to my seat next to an empty one that belonged to Remus, behind James and Lily, in front of Sirius and Peter, and across the aisle from Travis and his two partners. How convenient; we had an odd number in our class.

I tried to block out the conversation happening at the front of the room about apologies over not having a uniform on today and school supplies. It didn't quite work. For the first time, I noticed what he was wearing: a pinstriped button-down with rolled up sleeves and a pair of loose jeans. His look reminded me of the outfit I made Travis wear to Hogsmeade in December. I smiled slightly at our similarity in style. I had never really noticed Alec's attire. My focus was always on his face. And abs.

"Psst," I heard from behind me. I reluctantly faced Sirius. "Who's that bloke? A transfer? He looks a bit old to be going to school here."

What was I supposed to say? I guess the truth couldn't hurt this time. "He was my dad's coma patient. He got into a coma on Christmas, two years ago, and he just woke up last month. He never graduated," I muttered back.

Apparently I didn't mutter quietly enough, when a Hufflepuff girl behind Sirius squealed and found a window between Sirius's and Peter's heads to ask me, "So, he's 21?"

I glared back at her, wondering how in Merlin's name she got into N.E.W.T. Potions. "19," I growled through gritted teeth. She and her Potion's partner squealed once again and continued their whispering.

Sirius and Peter gave me odd looks that I ignored. I looked back at Slughorn and Ian.

"Let's see…" said Slughorn, thoughtfully looking around the room. "Who to partner you with?"

His roaming eyes landed on me, and my heart stopped. No! Remus is my partner! Don't do it, Slughorn, or I swear! I won't come to one more bloody Slug Club shindig you throw, ever again!

"Ms. Ba–…. Ah, my mistake. Remus is your partner. Hmm….Oh! Where's my threesome?"

I admit that I was one of the immature idiots in the class who snigger-snorted. Slughorn's obliviousness was just so entertaining. I caught Ian begin to laugh, too, before he quickly covered it up with a cough.

"There we are! Decker, Thompson, and Fitzgerald. Who to pick? Who to pick?"

Oh, Merlin, please not–

"Decker! You've got yourself a new partner!" he bellowed, patting Ian on the back.

Oh, _Merlin_. Why? Why? Could today get any worse? I put my head down roughly onto my arms on my desk.

As Ian headed toward Travis – and consequently me – Slughorn said, "And until poor Remus comes back, you two work with Ms. Baccari."

My head shot right back up. Could my saying that have gone any more clichéd? "But, Professor! I can work by myself today! You don't have to inconvenience anyone! I'm fine! I swear, I'm fine! Aren't I fine, James? Tell him I'm fine!" I kicked the leg of James's stool.

James jumped and his left hand – which was undoubtedly previously on Lily's right thigh – jumped up to run through his hair. "Um, what? Yeah. She's fine." He let out a nervous-sounding laugh and then twisted to glower at me.

"Nonsense!" he said, smiling as though I was being silly. "No one will be working alone. And you always work with Decker when Lupin is out, anyway."

The fight was clearly lost when Ian walked around me and plopped down next to me with a smirk, and Travis pulled his stool over to the edge of our table. Slughorn turned around to write something on the chalkboard, and hell – I mean, class – began.

"What's wrong with _you_?" Ian whispered to me. I assumed it was because of the murderous expression upon my face, as I glared at Slughorn's back.

"I'm going to drop an anvil on the man's bloody head," I snarled under my breath.

He looked amused. "Aw, you don't mean that."

I snapped my head sharply to turn my glare to him. "Find me an anvil and watch me _go_."

Ian just chuckled and shook his head, seemingly entertained. "Ahh…you crack me up, Jenyse Baccari."

My glare melted at the sound of my name rolling off his tongue. It was the first time I heard it from Ian Hayes, other than the time at the hospital when he first woke up – which was probably erased from his mind from all the potions they must have drowned him in. It sounded just like I remembered. It gave me the same feeling of warmth and home. I missed it deeply.

I must have sat there, staring at him, for a damn long time before Travis cleared his throat and kicked my chair. I jumped and swiveled around to see what he wanted.

"Uh, yeah, Trav?"

He just raised a brow. "We're starting the potion now, Jenyse."

I looked up at the board. '_Wit-Sharpening Potion_,' was scrawled on it, along with its ingredients, instructions, and a note saying that they would be tested at the end of class.

A bunch of people, including Travis, were getting up to get the ingredients.

"So…" Ian started.

I jumped up to start setting up our cauldron and everything on our table. "You mind helping me with this?" I didn't care if it looked like I was purposely avoiding another undoubtedly awkward conversation with him.

By the time Travis came back with the scarab beetles, ginger root, and armadillo bile, Ian and I were already sitting in an uncomfortable silence.

"Alright," Travis said as he sat down, "we've got to grind the beetles and cut up the ginger root. Hayes, you can do the ginger root while Jenyse and I work with the beetles."

"Yes sir," Ian drawled theatrically, reaching over me to grab the ingredient.

I sat very still, so as to guarantee no contact between us. I looked down at his bare forearm, due to his sleeve being rolled up. I couldn't help but admire it. The perfect amount of blondish-brown hair covered his miraculously tanned skin. I couldn't find a logical explanation to how it could be so tan. He was in a bloody coma for two years. He couldn't have gotten so tan in a month. I wondered if the rest of his skin under his shirt was still tan. Especially his abs. I wondered what his new abs looked like, now that they were in a more corporeal form.

"Here you go, Jenyse," Travis said, bringing me out of my reverie. He pushed over a bowl of the beetles.

"Uh, thanks, Trav." I glanced at Ian and saw that he had a smirk plastered on his face.

The three of us worked in silence for a while. It really was a completely awkward situation for me. I was so used to being the only one able to see him. He was practically mine. And now I had to share.

"So, these beetles seem more squashable today."

Ian coughed from beside me, probably covering up another laugh. Oh, Trav. Must you be so random? "Really, Trav? They seem the same to me," I replied, just to appease him.

His eyebrows drew together, while he grinded the beetles in his bowl. "Well, today they are really grinding well."

I laughed at him. "It has nothing to do with the beetles, but the guy who's squashing them." I pushed his head away lightly.

"No," Travis retorted, determined to make me agree, "I mean it. These beetles are different."

"Well," Ian interjected, "maybe they have changed. I wouldn't know. I've been out of commission for a while. It's good to know such important things have happened while I was in a coma. Beetles are now more easily squashed!"

I snorted at his sarcastically flippant manner. Finished with the grinding of my share of the scarab beetles, I began to put our ingredients into our cauldron. Travis finished next and helped me. As I put in the armadillo bile, Travis pushed back my hair that had fallen into my face behind my ear. I thanked him with a smile.

We finished our potion and successfully tested it on Travis. The three of us got O's, and we all sat back and relaxed for the last five minutes of class.

"Hey, Jenyse," James said as he and Lily turned to start conversation with us, "whaddaya say about you and me…J-Time?"

I grinned, totally up for a much needed good distraction. "Absolutely. Later today?"

James smiled back. "Sounds like a plan," he agreed, slapping his hand onto my table, as if to finalize it. "No one can hang out and be J-tastic like my Sylly. She's just amazing like that."

"Sylly?" Ian asked.

"Her middle name is Syl. Hence, Sylly. It's the nickname we gave her in first year. By we, I mean, _we_." James emphasized the word by motioning between Sirius, Peter, and himself. Stupid overprotective James.

Lily turned to Ian and smiled. "Hi, I'm Lily Evans." She stuck her hand out, and Ian shook it. I was briefly amazed at his being able to touch someone. It was a lot to take in.

"Ian Hayes," he replied.

"I'm the Head Girl. If you ever need any help catching up with lessons or anything, I'll be glad to help you. It's pretty much my job, anyway."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

James shook his hand roughly, saying, "James Potter. Head Boy. Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. Master of Sexiness." I reached over and hit him for his obnoxious boasting, the same time Lily did. "What? I'm just telling him the facts." I rolled my eyes.

"Quidditch Captain, huh? Lookin' to play professionally?" Ian asked, interested.

James shook his head. "Nah. Auror."

"Interesting," he replied, deflated.

Sirius, leaning over his own table, cut into the conversation. "Sirius Black. Beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Funniest guy alive. And the _original_ Master of Sexiness. I taught James all he knows." Oh, Sirius.

"Good to know…" Ian replied as he shook Sirius's hand. Poor Ian. He was probably getting a little freaked out.

"Oh, and I am also the love of Minnie's life."

Ian laughed and asked, "As in McGonagall?"

"Absolutely."

Ian shook his head, with a smile. He probably thought all of them were crazy. Which is kind of true, but that was why I loved them all so much.

"And Sylly's too, of course." He winked at me.

Peter managed to squeeze in a brief introduction, too, right before the class was dismissed.

I gathered up my things and got up. "See ya, Trav," I said, giving him a hug.

"Mmhmm," he grumbled, because of my choosing to hang out with the Marauders. He left ahead of us.

I rolled my eyes at James, Sirius, and Peter, who were glaring at Travis's retreating back. "Come on, let's go." I tried not to pay attention to the fact that Ian was following us, as we left the classroom. Sirius put his arm around my shoulders as we headed out of the dungeons. As we walked up the stairs, Sirius began to randomly tickle me in the sides. I knew it was a show to tell Ian I was off-limits.

"Sirius! Stop!" I protested, trying to get out of his hold.

"Uh-uh! It's so fun to watch you squirm!" he said, keeping up the tickle attack. I eventually got him to stop when I hit him upside the head. I could definitely feel Ian watching us carefully.

"So, where are you guys headed?" Ian asked us when we got to the Entrance Hall.

"Gryffindor Tower," Sirius replied curtly. I elbowed him in the side. I hated when my boys got all protective over me. They always turned so rude. He sighed. "We're gonna check up on Remus," he explained.

"Who is this Remus guy? Slughorn mentioned he was your partner."

Before I could answer, James cut in. "Remus is the fourth addition to our group." He moved from next to Lily to go put his arms around Sirius's and Peter's shoulders to show who he was talking about. "You can call us the Marauders. He gets this furry little problem sometimes, but he'll be alright in a few days."

"Oh…um, alright." The way he said it made me feel kind of bad for him. It wasn't his fault he didn't have any friends to go hang out with.

"Hey, I'll meet you guys up there," I told them. James, Sirius, and Peter simultaneously looked between me and Ian, shrugged, and then went up to the common room with Lily trailing them. I faced Ian. "So, how'd you like your first class?"

"Eh, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"That's good."

"Yeah, especially since I was partnered up with the best-looking girl in the class." He smirked and gave me yet another once-over.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Would you stop doing that?"

His smirk grew even more prominent. "What? I'm just returning the favor."

My eyebrows drew together as I gazed up at him. "Returning the favor?"

He laughed at my apparent obliviousness. "Don't play stupid. I saw you staring at me all class."

I must have turned redder than the Gryffindor common room. He caught me. Dammit! Way to go, Jenyse. Way to be discreet about staring at his bloody abs and forearms!

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hah. Yeah. Sure." He rolled his eyes. "So, is that Decker kid your boyfriend?"

That sudden inquiry caught me so completely off-guard, that I just had to start cracking up. "Are you kidding? Trav-Trav the Asexual Lad?" All doubt that Alec really was Ian flew out the window. What was with them? _Both_ of them assumed I was with Travis. That's just ridiculous!

He actually looked sort of relieved. "Hey, I have valid reason to assume that. The way he brushed your hair back, and hugged you goodbye, and looked all jealous for hanging out with those other guys."

"Yeah, _sure_."

"How about that James?"

I snorted. "And what's your valid reason for that guess?" I had to admit. This was actually kind of entertaining.

"'J-Time?'" He looked down at me, challenging me to deny it.

"He's with Lily," I informed him gently, as to not burst his bubble too roughly.

"Oh…" he paused, thinking. "Black. Mr. I-Have-My-Arm-Around-A-Hot-Girl. Come on, he's got to be it. Or that Remus guy everyone keeps talking about? Oh, please don't tell me it's Peter."

"Nope, nope, and _nope_."

He looked like a deflated puppy dog. It was obvious that he was still a 17-year-old boy trapped in a 19-year-old's body. He was still two years too immature. But that worked fine for me.

"Aw, come on. Who is it? Give me a clue," he begged.

I froze. I watched him for any signs of remembrance. He said the word clue. The things that kept Alec and I together. If it wasn't for his clues, we never would have bonded and eventually gotten together. How could Ian say the word himself, and not have a flashback or something?

I cleared my throat and tried to clear my mind at the same time. "Uh, you know, I never really could choose between my boys. Don't tell anyone I said this but, uh…they're just all such good kissers."

I took pleasure in the sight of his eyes growing huge.

"I mean, if you've been hanging out with the same people since you were eleven, you're bound to have played a few games of Truth or Dare," I said with nonchalance and a shrug.

"No way. Tell me you're kidding. Good joke, right? That's not possible! I mean, sure, it's possible, with your form, but…_seriously_?"

I laughed loudly and even started to cry a little. His reaction was better than I thought it would be. "Ahh, that was great. Don't get me wrong – they're all snog-worthy gents – but I've never date any of them. So, no, I don't have one. A boyfriend, I mean." It pained me to say it.

His face went from flabbergasted to relieved in a millisecond. "Oh. Good. Well, you do have an awful amount of guy friends. That might make things rather difficult for what I have planned."

"Planned?"

"Absolutely. And no, you're not getting any clues either." The smirk came back as he started to retreat backwards toward the stairs. "See you around, Jenyse," he said, but I barely heard him.

It was when he mentioned clues for the second time that I realized what I had to do. I would drop a subtle clue in a conversation between us, once everyday, pertaining to his spirit. Of course it would have to be very subtle, as to not make myself seem as though I was mental. But maybe, just maybe, if he picks it up, it'll trigger his memory. I mean, if there was no escaping conversing with him, every bloody day, I may as well take advantage of the situation. I begged Merlin to let my plan work. It could be my only hope for him to remember all of the memories we shared. Like he once said: one clue, and one clue only.

Oh, how the tables have turned.

**A/N: hey! so, what'd you think? tell me in a review. please. favorite parts/quotes are my favorite to hear about. what'd you think about the boys' protectiveness? haha. and Ian's sexiness? please review!**


	3. Singles' Awareness Day

**(old A/N) A/N: HI! I'M SOOOO SORRY FOR TAKING FOREVER! thank you to des, megan, marIssa, and amandarrr. ADDISON! i love you! she (Molly Raesly) suggested a lot for this chapter, and added a little dialogue to it too. THANKS GUYS! HAPPY READING!**

Chapter 3: "Singles' Acknowledgment-slash-Awareness Day."

"Do you want me to take off my robes?"

I choked on my own saliva at his blunt and sudden question. It didn't help that I was already stressed out and uptight from my having to be in this situation.

"_Excuse_ me?" I breathed out after I finished hacking up my lungs.

He looked up at me and I spotted the amused glint in his eye. I swallowed as I watched that familiar smirk grow across those familiar lips. It had been about a week since he had arrived. Being around him so much, I had a lot of practice ignoring the surges of pain I would get every time he made an Alec-like quirk or every time I remembered something that he couldn't. The pain was definitely still there, but it was a whole hell of a lot more bearable now.

His smirk grew as I stayed silently confused. "For the checkup. Should I take off my robes so you can do your tests or whatever?" He watched me carefully, waiting for me to meet realization.

"Oh!" I blushed for having thought anything else. "Right. Yeah, I think you're gonna have to."  
I turned my back on him and looked down at the step-by-step instructions in my hands written in my father's messy scrawl. I heard Ian chuckle at me, as he so often did, lately. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.

Once the rustling of Ian's robes being taken off had ended, I turned back around to face him. To my great horror – and, alright, pleasure – my eyes were greeted with the sight of Ian Hayes three feet away from me…shirtless.

I couldn't help but stare. His abs were amazingly finely shaped, considering the guy had been in a bloody coma for two years. All of his muscles were so defined. My brain couldn't come up with any formulation of words but, '_Why the hell is he shirtless? Why the hell is he shirtless? Oh my Merlin, he's shirtless. Oh, my Merlin, he's _shirtless_!_'

All of a sudden, my mental chanting was interrupted by the classroom door opening. I jumped and faced the door. It was Professor Jenkins, our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He stopped his whistling some happy tune when he noticed us. I could tell when his brain processed that Ian was shirtless a little ways behind me.

"Oh! I'm so sorry to interrupt," he said, in a shocked and embarrassed voice. "I was just – uh – coming in to get some of those jars over there." He noted to the jars of goo on top of a table on the far side of the room. "Um, let me just–" he hesitated forward, but stopped and pulled out his wand. "Right. Um, _Accio_!" The jars flew to him and right into his hand.

The blush I had going on just kept growing darker and darker. I chanced a peek at Ian to see how he was reacting to this incredibly awkward situation. He was smiling his crooked smile topped with pure amusement. I shouldn't have been surprised. This was Ian – if anything, a form of Alec.

"Uh, alright. Sorry to – uh – interrupt, again," sputtered the usually cool and laidback professor.

"Oh, no problem, Professor," replied Ian coolly. "Jenyse and I were just finishing up here."

I jumped lightly when I felt his bare arm go around me. I tried my hardest not to shrug his arm off _or_ melt into his side. I stayed as still as I could – trying not to make anymore contact with his bare top than he was already making – watching Jenkins swallow uncomfortably as Ian winked at him.

"Right, well, continue as you were, or not, or…bye." He rushed out of the room and shut the door behind himself as he muttered under his breath. Poor guy.

Ian's loud and distinctive laugh rang through my ear. "Ahh, that was great! Did you see how awkward he was?"

"Heh, yeah." I moved from under his arm. "Now let's get out of here before someone else barges in and thinks we were…snogging or something."

He rolled his eyes, but grabbed his robes, ready to move, anyway. "Snogging? I'm pretty sure he thought we were doing a little more than that, dear Jenyse."

I felt a new rush of blood in my cheeks. "Why the hell isn't your shirt on?" I exclaimed, changing the subject. "Way to make it even _more_ awkward! I never said you had to take your _shirt_ off!"

He burst into laughter. "I know," he declared meaningfully.

Oh Merlin. He did it on purpose, that prat. "Put your damn shirt on and let's move."

"Oh, don't act like you weren't staring, dear Jenyse. Don't worry. I didn't mind it." And the smirk. Oh, how I was resenting that smirk.

I turned hastily and packed up the stuff I had brought for the checkup. I shoved everything back into the duffel bag I had just taken them out of, and zipped the bag up, while I listened to his constant chuckling and the rustle of his shirt. I briskly walked to the door and opened it. Seeing that Ian hadn't followed me, I urged him to exit with a wave of my hand.

He shook his head, but complied. "You're such a party pooper."

"Yeah, yeah, keep walking."

"To _where_?" he asked, throwing up his arms.

Good question. I had no idea where to bring him. We couldn't go to any common room, since we were in different houses. We couldn't very well go to another empty classroom, unless we wanted just another awkward happenstance as we just had with Jenkins. There was no where else that was private.

Except…

No. No way was I going in there with him. It was too soon. Way too soon. It had only been a week. No way was I ready to bring Ian Hayes into the Room of Requirement with me. Maybe we could go tot the Astronomy Tower. Yeah! But…no. With my luck, there would be a couple having a snog-fest in there. There had to be another place.

"Jenyse?"

"Fine!" I exclaimed, to his complete surprise. "There's no where else that we can go and have guaranteed privacy. The Room of Requirement it is." I ignored his raised brows and shocked expression, and stormed past him, leading the way to what used to be our room.

When we got to the hallway, I tried to think of any other kind of setup for a room than the one I always made, as Ian watched me walk back and forth three times with eyes that questioned my sanity.

"Um…Jenyse?"

I shushed him as the door appeared.

"Whoa," he breathed from behind me.

I begged Merlin that the room would be different. I slowly reached for the handle and opened the door.

"No!" I exclaimed. The room was exactly the same. Not one thing had changed. The fireplace was there. The couch, the bookcases, the coffee. It was all there. "Why?"

Ian stepped up next to me. "What do you mean 'why?' This place is brilliant!"

I looked at him and saw the same look of awe in his face as there was in Alec's when I first showed him this place. He even said the same thing. I waited anxiously for him to have a flash of memory or anything. But no. Nothing. Looks like today's clue was unsuccessful too, as all the other ones had been this past week. Brilliant.

"Sure. Alright, let's get this over with." I walked over to the coffee and took a large gulp.

He closed the door and followed, sitting on the couch. "Well, _someone_ likes coffee."

I glared at him over my mug.

"Hey, hey. Stop it with the daggers. Coffee's good. I like coffee." He smiled at my rolling my eyes. "So…how's this thing going down?"

"First, you're gonna keep your shirt on."

Ian snickered, shaking his head.

I pulled out the instructions again. 'Step 1: Take his resting heart rate – Find his pulse and put your wand on top of it. Say the incantation, _Frequensacardi_, and wait for a minute. Then, take your wand and tap it onto your piece of parchment for the RHR number,' it read.

I looked up from the paper and at Ian, who looked back at me expectantly. I glanced at his neck, imagining how awkward it would be for me to touch it to find his pulse. "Find your pulse on your neck." I moved to sit on the coffee table across from him.

"Aren't you supposed to be–?"

"Just do it." It came out as more of a question or a plea rather than an order. I watched him feel around for it on his neck. When he found it, I put the point of my wand on top of his two fingers and told him to move them away. "_Frequensacardi_!" Both he and I stayed still as the minute passed on my watch. I removed my wand from his neck to the parchment on the coffee table next to me. The number '79' appeared on it. "One down, six to go."

"Whoopee," he muttered. "So, do you want to become a nurse or healer or something?" he asked as I continued the steps.

"_No_," I answered forcefully, "I can't take the blood." I held up a flashcard for a second then turned it so I could see it. "What was the middle picture?"

"An owl. You can't take blood?" he inquired, surprised. "Then why did you agree to do this? Not that I'm complaining. Quill, ferret, and a car from left to right."

"Good. My dad assured me that there would be no blood involved. And do you ever stop hitting on every girl in your line of sight over and over again? Particularly me?"

He smirked and answered, "Who says I'm hitting on _every_ girl?" as he gave me yet another once-over. "And I'm not so sure you don't enjoy the physical attraction I have for you." He leaned over, closer to me and winked.

I swallowed and stared at him. Was it that obvious? No, it couldn't be. He's just cocky, is all. "Y-you're wrong," I lied unconvincingly.

"Sure. That's why you're not backing away," he whispered.

It was then that I realized how close he was to me. His leg was even touching mine and his hands were resting on the table, on either side of my legs. If he were Alec, I'd be perfectly comfortable with this position and closeness. But I had to remember that this wasn't Alec, but Ian. Sure, they had some similarities, but they were very different as well.

I turned my head away and scooted back further. I held up a card in front of his face and he chuckled, backing up. I turned it and he got two of the pictures wrong this time. I recorded his results and moved onto the next step.

"Alright, answer these questions…truthfully, please?" I ignored his rolling his eyes at me. "Have you had trouble sleeping, eating, paying attention, or anything physical, like walking or carrying things?"

He paused to think for a minute. "Sleeping, yes. Eating, never. Paying attention, most of the time. Walking and carrying heavy things, sometimes just a tad."

I wrote down everything he said, word for word. "How about headaches or any other physical pains?"

"I do get lots of headaches. But they're not as bad as they were the first month. And some physical pains. You know, in places that hurt after going running, like joints and my back. And some of the places I had bad cuts from the accident. It's probably just because the healed skin isn't used to moving around so much."

"Got it."

"Oh, and there's this one spot that really hurts. I don't know why, but it's been bothering me. There's a small bruise on it, but I don't remember ever hitting it."

I looked to where he was rubbing, a little to the side of his stomach. My eyebrows drew together, at his description. That was a little weird to me, probably because I wasn't a doctor or a healer or anything. "Let me see."

He lifted up the bottom of his shirt, and pointed to his abdominal area. "Right there."

I squinted my eyes, trying to spot the bruise anywhere on his skin in the general area he was noting to. "I don't see a bruise."

"Well, what _do_ you see?"

"…Your abs? No bruises."

"My abs, huh? So, do you like 'em?"

I straightened back up from my hunched over position, from examining his abs. I glared as menacingly as I could at him, despite the growing blush on my cheeks. "You jerk! You set me up!"

All that came from him was laugher, laughter, and more laughter.

"Oh, yeah, hilarious. Here, you get a prize for being the standup comedian of the class," I took out one vial of each potion he was supposed to take and handed them to him. "You have to down all of these."

His laughter abruptly stopped and he made a disgusted face at the number of vials. "I've _still_ got to take every single one of them? You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope, sorry. Don't worry, there's coffee for you to take the tastes away with," I assured him, sickeningly sweet.

He made a face at me and took a vial. He downed it and took another. He took them all in a matter of ten seconds. I laughed as he snagged the coffee from the table and downed that too.

"_Somebody_ likes coffee," I copied him.

"Ugh…disgusting. Not the coffee," he added when I made a face at him. "No, the coffee's good. Delicious, even."

"Of course it is. It's coffee." He chuckled as I put the empty vials and flashcards back into the bag. "We're done. I'm gonna – I mean – let's go get some dinner." It was weird to me that he had to eat too. I was so used to Alec not being able to eat.

He smirked. "Dinner, eh? I knew you were into me."

I narrowed my eyes at him and stood up. Ian stood up at the same time as me and our close proximity made me unbalanced. Ian caught me before I fell onto the table. His arms didn't move from around me, even after I had steadied myself. The natural feeling of being in his arms made me lose all sense of thought. I could smell his distinct smell and I didn't want it to go away. I could clearly see the tiny golden specks in his hazel-green eyes. It was when they blinked that I realized what was going on.

I gently moved his arms away and walked toward the door, listening to his soft chuckle. "Come on, let's go."

"Alright, alright." He walked out of the door ahead of me. He paused and turned back to me to say, "Hey, if we're going to be doing this every week, can you at least put on a skimpy, sexy nurse outfit? You know, with the red cross design and cap and everything?"

I rolled my eyes and pushed him forward. "Just be a good boy and shut up and keep walking. Maybe some food will cure the brain damage that you clearly still have and bring you back into reality."

~*~

"If I throw a stick, will you leave?"

Sirius's eyes narrowed at his best friend's mock-innocently smiling face, as I passed by their table, trying to go unnoticed. James and Ian were having a tutoring session. It was one of the very few moments in the day that I was free of Ian and the muddle of emotions that came with spending time with him.

I tried creeping my way behind a bookshelf for cover. The only person I could be mad at this time for sticking me in this dumb situation was myself. I knew that they would be in the library at this exact time, but I had a Charms essay that I needed to get done, even if it was due in a week. I silently looked for the book I needed as Sirius accused James of liking the "new kid" better than his best friend of seven years.

"Alright," Sirius said, "I see how it is. I don't need you. I'll just get Jenyse and have some fun Valentine's Day activities with _her_…if you know what I mean."

I bumped my head roughly on a shelf as I practically heard Sirius's eyebrows wiggle suggestively. "Argh! Bloody hell!" I muttered while I rubbed my forehead. Way to blow your cover, Jenyse.

I heard a chair creak at the end of the aisle of bookshelves and looked over, miserably. Ian appeared to be leaning back on the back legs of his chair with his head peeking out from the other side of the bookshelf. The pain on my forehead throbbed when a smirk appeared on his face.

"Speak of the devil," he drawled.

I shot him an exhausted, yet menacing, glare, and then got up to grudgingly make my way to their table. As I passed behind Ian, I pushed him forward so that all of the chair's legs were safely on the floor. I plopped into the seat next to James, deliberately avoiding sitting next to Ian.

"Keep doing that if you've got a pledge to get even more brain damage," I notified him, hinting at the risks of his previous position in his chair. I caught him saluting me sardonically before I turned my glare on Sirius. "What the _hell_ are you talking about?"

Sirius leaned over to me with a devilish grin. "You know you want me, Jenyse."

I snorted. "Oh, yeah. That's exactly how I want to spend my 'SAD' day."

"'Sad?'" Ian questioned with a raised brow.

I sighed, not wanting to explain it to him in particular. Unfortunately, I knew Ian wouldn't relent until I told the truth. "Singles' Acknowledgment-slash-Awareness Day. Take your pick." It didn't help that the reason for my being single was sitting right in front of me. The holiday was the reason for my trying to avoid him all day. I watched him, waiting for the hysterics to kick in. To my complete astonishment, all that came out of him was a loud snort as he had the unexpected decency to try to keep his laughter in.

"Well," Ian told me as he tried unsuccessfully to hold back a grin, "I'm sure I could be persuaded to find someone willing to be your date for the day."

"That's all right," I replied stiffly. I didn't need _his_ lips to be forming such enticing words at the moment. Knowing it was frugal, I wished he would let the entire idea drop.

"No, a girl like you shouldn't be alone today."

"Really," I assured him, "I'll be fine." Okay, it was a lie. Write my mum.

"No, Jenyse, you deserve a long line filled with devilishly handsome young suitors just waiting to throw themselves at your feet."

I rolled my eyes. "Good luck finding some."

"Well, I think there's a recently awake person who might be interested."

I sucked in a breath as he hypnotized me with those eyes of his. Fate was too cruel. My mouth opened as I tried to say something remotely coherent back to him.

"Alright, you guys, enough flirting. You have to go," James told Sirius and me. "We're not done here yet, and I don't want to have to wash out my ears with soap later."

"Prongsie!" Sirius whined. "It's so nice out, though! Come on! You know you don't want to stay holed up in here, tutoring this guy all day when you could be outside with your very best friends….No offense, Hayes."

"None taken," he replied with a smile.

"Sirius," James answered him tiredly, "it's February. How is it _nice_ out?"

I chuckled at Sirius's faltering.

"Alright, so it's not _that_ nice out. But seriously? The library on a Saturday morning? On _Valentine's Day_? Isn't there a Hogsmeade trip today?"

James paused and seemed to think about it. Finally, he said, "You know, you're right, Sirius."

Not only did Sirius perk up with surprise and hope. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ian do the same. I understood his reaction. The poor guy had enough school work to do to begin with, for his age.

"I'm going to spend this Valentine's Day in Hogsmeade with my favorite person in the world…Lily…when we're _done_."

Psychic! Oh, how did I know he was going to say that? I smirked when both previously thrilled boys deflated. Ian's head went down, into his open Arithmancy textbook, and I laughed quietly.

"How long have you guys been here, anyway?" I asked as Sirius threw up his hands in defeat and stormed out.

"About an hour," answered James while Ian grunted, "Too long," into his book. James rolled his eyes and dove back into the book to ask Ian more questions. There was my cue!

Not feeling like doing work anymore myself, I got up and left, abandoning the book I was going to check out and the two boys having their tutoring session. As I strolled out of the library, I heard Ian answer James's question with a snarky response of, "According to my calculations, the problem doesn't exist." I shook my head, smiling, and went on my way to the Gryffindor Tower.

In the common room, I found Travis doing homework, as well. I walked right over to him and snatched his parchment from under his quill. My dirty deed caused him to draw a line across his essay as he yelled in protest.

"Hey! Jenyse! You ruined my essay!"

I examined the damage I had done with a laugh. It could easily be fixed with a simple spell. "Oh, stop whining. Come on. Let's go," I said, taking his hand and pulling him up. I pulled him with such force that the books in his lap fell onto the floor, along with his closed ink bottle.

"Argh, Jenyse! Go where?" he asked as he tripped from my dragging him. He had to jump over the coffee table and a second year to keep up with me.

"Hogsmeade. You're gonna be my Valentine today, okay? Cool." I finally let go of his hand when we had to crawl through the portrait hole. Luckily for his head, arm, stomach, and/or any other hittable body part of his, he followed behind me.

"Oh! Alright!" he replied, being completely bipolar, in my opinion. Travis straightened when he got out of the hole, and put his arm around my shoulders.

I grinned up at his own smiling face and wrapped an arm around his waist. As we walked, we made small talk about random nonsense, just as we were comfortable doing every time we were together. It felt good to be with Travis. We hadn't really hung out in a while, just by ourselves. I missed him. It was a good thing today was a Hogsmeade trip. It gave us less of the possibility of bumping into someone we didn't want to see. And if we did, the town gave us an excuse to escape long conversations with them. All we would need to say is, "Yeah, we're on our way to fill-in-location-here. See ya later!" I didn't know about Travis, but _I_ thought it was pretty nifty.

I guessed Travis noticed my high spirits, because he smiled down at me with amusement and said, "What are you so giddy about?"

"You," I said, imitating an annoying girly girlfriend. "What else would I be giddy about, Valentine?" I added in a highly irritating giggle just for kicks.

His booming laugh filled and echoed through the hall we were walking through.

Figures it would be cut off by the sight of the one and only….

"Hayes," Travis grunted in greeting, noticeably – to Ian and my straining neck – tightening his arm around me.

"Hey there, guys. What are you two up to?" he questioned, eyeing the two of us with our arms around one another.

I could practically feel the mix of tension and smugness – probably from being the one with me at that time – radiating off of Travis. I couldn't help but wonder helplessly why I was such a tomboy. Why couldn't I just hang out with girls? I was reminded why when a group of them passed us, giggling at the sight of Ian. Sigh and grr.

I tugged on Travis's waist, encouraging him to just move on. "We're going to Hogsmeade. See ya."

Travis, glad that I had some degree of rudeness to Ian, complied to my tugging and walked.

I felt bad for Ian for being on the receiving end of Travis's menacing glare. I'd seen worse from Travis – always directed at the Marauders – but still. It was intense for its victim being his Potions partner. I clenched at Travis's shirt when I heard Ian's damn footsteps following us.

"Oh, really? So, you _did_ find someone, then. That's fantastic! What are you guys gonna do there? Lunch? Strolling hand in hand? Leaning each other's heads on each other's shoulders, watching the sunset?" Ian listed theatrically.

Was it bad that I felt half-amused and half-bad for him? I probably would have snorted and laughed if Travis had shared my feelings. Biting the inside of my lip so I wouldn't slip and smile, I let go of Travis and walked up to Ian. I could feel Travis's slightly hurt, confused, and suspicious eyes watching me intently. For a second, I forgot what I was doing when I got a whiff of his – and/or Alec's – smell. After the short flashes of memories, I peered up at him pleadingly. "Alright, I'll be frank with you," I whispered.

The famous – at least in my lonely mind – crooked smile almost caused me to turn away. I suppressed the pain as well as I could.

"So, does that make me the girl?"

His joke sort of helped the pain decrease. I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I thought your remarks were amusing. Yes, you've managed to tick off Travis. No, I don't mean to be rude. But please just leave Trav and me alone for the day. We've done you no harm, and I really don't want Trav to be in a bad mood today. Go find something fun to do – hell, tease someone else – or go to Hogsmeade, or whatever. Just, please stop bugging Travis. And don't think I don't know that you know exactly how to bug him." I blushed as I said my last comment. It was practically common sense that if you wanted to annoy Travis, you'd have to try and take his time with me away from him. Don't get me wrong – I'm not being conceited – but it sure as hell seemed like that was the truth since first year.

Ian's lips grew into a half-smirk, half-crooked smile as he peered down at me. "I don't know what you're talking about."

From his tone, I knew perfectly well that he did know what I was talking about and understood. I took his reply as a white flag, and was relieved. I nodded gratefully at him. "Thanks. See ya." I turned back to Travis and returned to my position, under his arm. The tension was very much still there as we walked away and straight to Hogsmeade.

Eventually, with my encouragement, Travis eased up and we had a great time talking, laughing, teasing, joking around, and making fun of and gagging at each sappy couple we passed.

~*~

I tugged James's Invisibility Cloak tighter around me. It was past midnight, by now. I had officially survived the stupid holiday designed to mock those who lack a significant other. It was a miracle that I did. Every time I saw a disgusting couple make out, I'd remember what it felt like to have Alec's lips sweetly against mine. Of course, I didn't show what I was feeling inside to Travis. I laughed and snorted at all the right spots and even added in a few comments of my own.

After today, I was surely not able to fall asleep, so I took the chance to have some coffee in the Room of Requirement. When I got there, I suddenly felt relaxed. It was the first time since last month that the room had given me that feeling. I figured it was probably because I was so tense all day; even more tense than this room usually made me feel, lately.

I took off the cloak and hung it on the back of the couch I sat scrunched up on. I drank my coffee in peace until I felt a disturbance in the soothing atmosphere. I sighed and faced the door as it squeaked open and revealed Ian Hayes. Figures. Why didn't I just leave the Cloak on?

After closing the door, he spotted me and his eyebrows shot up.

"Oh. Hey. Sorry, I didn't think anyone would be in here at this time."

His innocence and lack of pompousness surprised me. "Um, yeah. I couldn't sleep."

"Heh, yeah. Me neither. But you probably guessed that…" he added awkwardly, followed by a just-as-awkward pause. He stood by the door still, with his hands in his pockets.

Without my mind's full consent, my mouth blabbed, "You wanna sit down?"

The unavoidable crooked smile graced his face as he crossed the room and plopped into the couch practically in front of me, as I was sitting sideways with my back against the arm of the couch.

"Coffee?" I asked as another cup appeared on the coffee table before us.

He raised a brow at me. "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of coming here for not being able to sleep?"

I sent a '_So?_' look at him before taking a swig.

He just shook his head, grabbed the mug off the table, and took a swig of his own. "Mmm…this is really good."

Duh.

"So, you come here a lot, don't you?" he accused lightly. He looked around, as though it was his first time in there again.

"Good guess. I come here mostly for the coffee. Though, it is my place to escape the crazy world of Hogwarts students," I admitted with a light laugh.

He laughed, too, nodding his head in agreement. "I hear you, there. Merlin, it's like none of the girls here have ever seen a bloody nineteen-year-old. They're always all over me. It's ridiculous. I don't even _feel_ nineteen."

That confession caught my full attention. He didn't feel nineteen. I mean, of course he wouldn't, considering he missed out on two years of his life. But…wouldn't that mean that he would be more like his spirit form? Alec was technically still seventeen.

But no; he wasn't. Alec was more of a nineteen-year-old than Ian even remotely was now. Alec had lived through those two years. Even though he couldn't interact with anyone, besides me, he still grew mentally and in maturity. That was the main difference between Ian and Alec.

I let out a strained laugh. "It's not that they've never seen someone your age. You're just a new toy to them. Don't worry; they'll get bored with you eventually, New Kid."

He chuckled. "Oh, thanks," he drawled sarcastically.

Ian seemed to observe me intensely. It made me squirm a little. I looked away and ran my finger along the brim of my coffee mug absentmindedly.

"You say those things as though you're not included in the female population of the school."

Ah, I knew I spoke too soon about his 'lack of pompousness.' My head snapped forward to fix him with a withering glare. "And here I thought you left your cockiness out the door."

He chortled lowly before saying, "No, no! I didn't mean it that way. I was just thinking it was interesting. I'm being completely curious here. Call me Mr. Curiosity, if you will. I was just wondering why you present yourself that way."

I paused, thinking about what he had just said. That was an easy enough question. "You probably know this already, but I've got two brothers and one sister. All my life I've been really close with my brother, Jarron. I guess that's kind of why I'm not as girly as my mother or sister would like me to be." I hung my head down and let my hair fall from behind my ear, as I thought about how disappointing I probably was to them. Of course I knew they loved me for who I was, but I also knew that they wished I could at least consent to going shopping with them once in a while.

I jumped a bit when I felt an electric spark from Ian's hand that had traveled to my face and tucked my hair back behind my ear. I peered up at his understanding, yet disagreeing face.

His hand rested on and didn't move from my cheek, even the strand of hair was safely hindered behind my ear. "I'm absolutely definite that neither your mother nor sister feels that way."

I felt myself lean into his hand when he started to softly stroke my cheek with his thumb.

"Judging from the few days I've known you…" he paused, and then finally whispered, "you're perfect the way you are," with a tiny admiring smile.

I reveled in the feel of his skin against mine. It was soft and gentle, sending chills down my spine. His sweet manners clouded my mind, so much that I couldn't even send signals to any of my body parts to get them to move. Not that I wanted to move. He had me – quite literally – in the palm of his hand. And I didn't mind one bit. He could have custody of my brain, for as long as he wanted. I mean, come on. He was him. He was Alec.

My whole body grew rigid. I lost all feeling in me, physically and mentally. All feeling, except one.

Pain.

Alec. I had thought Ian was Alec. This was not good.

I shot up, and away from him, at least a meter or two. I vaguely heard my coffee mug shatter on the hard and cold floor. I couldn't even look at his face. I didn't need to; I could clearly imagine how his face would look in my mind – all contorted with surprise and confusion. I tried my best to formulate a word, let alone a sentence. Somehow, I eventually managed. "I'm so sorry." I didn't know if he could even hear the faint whisper that came out of my barely moving mouth. "I have to go."

I rushed past him, behind the couch, grabbing the Invisibility Cloak along the way. I didn't even bother putting it around me as I sprinted my way to my dormitory, with tears streaming down my face, praying they would wash away all essence of his hand off of my cheek.

**A/N: hey guys! again, i'm SO SO SO SO sorry for taking FOREVER to get this chapter out. but here it is! and it's pretty long, too. life's been crazy, but now i'm back in action. well, writing. haha. thanks so much for reading and reviewing ASTU and the first two chapters, so far! now...follow your streak, and review this one, too! please! tell me what you think, especially your favorite parts! thanks!**

~ Danica


	4. IAN FREAKING HAYES

**(old A/N) A/N: hey guys! so so so sorry for the ridiculously long wait! thanks to des, elizabeth, marIssa, and amandarrr! thank you, most significantly, Molly Raesly! my host and muse. love you! and, onto chapter 4!**

Chapter 4: "IAN FREAKING HAYES."

I love Wednesday afternoons. Yes, I know; such a weird day, right? But seriously. It's more than half way through the school week, it's pie night at dinner, and – best of all – it's "Wicked Wanton Wednesday" for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Those particular practices had been established the moment James became captain.

"Wicked Wanton Wednesdays" were practices during which we don't go over endless amounts of plays, get yelled at by our lovely captain, or do any energy-draining drills. It was a practice for team bonding, laziness, and fun. We didn't even have to wear our practice robes. It wasn't every single Wednesday night; just the Wednesdays we didn't have a game the weekend after. They were the second most fun things – the first would be our actual Quidditch matches – in the land of Hogwarts Quidditch. I actually helped with the inflating of James's already massive ego – something I was highly opposed to doing.

Dressed comfortably in sweatpants and a thick hoodie, I grabbed my trusty broom and practically dashed to the Quidditch field. On the way, I met up with half of the team. I figured James and Sirius were already at the field, early as usual.

When we got to the field, I immediately jumped on my broom and took off. It felt so relaxing to fly around freely. Flying was what I relied on when I was overly stressed at school, since I couldn't drive my car. When I flew, I felt like I had control of everything. It felt as though it was the only time I had control of something in my life.

I closed my eyes as I reveled in the feel of the wind hitting my face and making my hair flail wildly behind me. After a little while, I began to give in to gravity and slowly made my way to the ground. As I got closer to the ground, I opened my eyes…

And almost fell off of my broom.

There, sitting in the stands next to Remus, a few feet away from my-floating-self, was the one and only Ian Hayes. Figures. Just when I had the feeling of being in control….

It was inevitable that his ridiculing smirk would come into place upon his face as I rebalanced myself, clutching at the broom beneath me.

"Whoa, Jenyse, you okay? You almost fell off there," said Remus, concerned.

"Mmhmm," I murmured, quickly brushing off his concern, before flying and stopping two inches from James's face. "What is Ian doing here?" I whisper-yelled.

James looked up at me from his playbook with a scrutinizing gaze. "He gave me some ideas for some new plays, so I invited him to come and watch. Why are you so riled up about it? I thought you two were friends."

Ignoring his last comment, I searched frantically for a valid reason why it was a bad idea to have Ian at our practice. "But, James! He's…he's the enemy!" Hah! Triumph! Brilliant excuse, Jenyse! "Are you _really_ going to let a _Ravenclaw_ in on our plays?"

"Jenyse, the guy only talks to _us_. Do you seriously think he's going to run and blab off to the Ravenclaw team?" James gave me a challenging look that dared me to go against his judgment again. "Plus, he's not that bad of a guy. You'd think his and my quote-unquote _cocky_ personalities would clash, but after all those tutoring sessions, I'm actually starting to think he's pretty cool."

Surprised at James's fondness of Ian, but primarily deflated, I peered back at Ian, who was watching us with that chronic smirk displayed on his lips. I groaned and turned back to James pleadingly. Suddenly, I remembered what he had said just a few seconds ago. "Wait a minute. Did you say that he's here to help us with new _plays_?"

James, whose attention went back to his playbook, sighed and exhaustedly turned back to face me. "Yes, Jenyse, I did in fact say that."

"_James_!" I yelled with shock mixed in with anger. I supposed I startled James with my sudden outburst, for his eyes grew wide as he took a step back. I imagined I got the attention of the entire team, plus our two audience members, but I couldn't care less. "Have you gone mental? Have you forgotten what today is? Does 'Wicked Wanton Wednesday' ring a bell?" I stared him down, angrily.

It was completely silent as everyone waited to hear James's reply.

He, not talking solely to me anymore, said, "I'm sorry, guys, but I really want to get a head start on these new plays. They look kind of complicated, and I want them perfected for our match against Slytherin next weekend."

There was a collective groan from the six of us who seemed to be teaming up against our captain. The groan was followed up by multiple complaints and threats concerning what would happen if we didn't get our fun practice.

"Potter, are you serious?"

"James, please! We can do the plays next time!"

"Potter, what the hell has Evans done to you?"

"Don't you want to just relax today? We've been training so hardcore for the match against Slytherin for _forever_, James!"

"Prongs, put away that playbook, or I swear I'll beat you where the sun don't shine. I don't have a problem with telling Evans you're unable to reproduce."

In the middle of the team's protesting, Ian called for everyone's attention. Everyone, including myself, turned sharply to him and cried a simultaneous, "What?"

I could see it in his face that he had regretted ever getting himself involved in riling up the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"Um, I'm sorry for ruining your plans for today's practice. I had no idea about your special Wednesday practices, nor had I the intention to cancel it. If you guys want, I'm sure we can go over the plays at your next practice," he suggested, unsurely.

I was surprised to see him so timid. Then again, after looking around at my teammates and seeing them furiously holding up their brooms and/or clubs, ready to attack, I could understand why he could be a little frightened.

I spoke up for the rest of the team as I saw them calm down. "_James_?" I urged him to answer while daring him to disagree.

We all watched James as he in turn looked around at all of us. Finally, he sighed and said, "Oh, fine. Go have fun."

Cheers erupted from the team and everyone, but me and James, took off to goof around in the air.

I flew back over to the stands, right in front of Ian, kind of unsure of what to say. Would a "thank you" be weird? Was it my job to thank him? This entire situation was just totally bizarre to me, but it obviously had its perks. Since we weren't being forced to have a real practice, that meant that Ian didn't have to stay for this particular practice. Ahh, success!

"Uh, thanks for that."

He looked up with his crooked smile. "Anything for you, Jenyse Baccari."

I blushed uncontrollably. No matter if he was Alec or Ian, he still had the same effect on me, as much as I tried to deny it. I heard my name being called by another Chaser, and told her to hold on for a second while I turned back to Ian. "Uh, so, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." I gave a small, awkward wave as I started to back away and up to the rest of my teammates, but he stopped me.

"What do you mean, you guess you'll see me tomorrow? I'm not leaving."

Oh, Merlin, just kill me now.

I decided not to respond after I noticed even _Remus_ smirking up at me. Argh. Why me?

I glided swiftly through the air to my team, frustrated with the entire situation of…my life. I desperately tried to forget about the pair of eyes that I could feel glued to me and focus on the feeling of freeness flying brought me. It worked.

For a while, I passed around the Quaffle with my fellow Chasers while our Keeper attempted to keep away our Quaffle from going into the hoops, our Beaters beat around the Bludgers, and our Seeker sought out the Snitch. All of these were done without any form of formality. We fooled around, did our own designed tricks, and flew aimlessly around the pitch.

I took a break from passing around the Quaffle and decided to do some tricks of my own. I did a few dives, loops, and fakes. After one of my favorite tricks, a complicated fake, followed by a flip that goes into a dive, I heard an applause. Since everyone on the team was doing their own things, I knew it was none of them who clapped. Remus had seen that trick a billion times already, so I was pretty sure it wasn't him. Even without the process of elimination, I had a strong feeling of who it was.

I turned my broom around to the stands. To my surprise, Remus was sitting by himself, watching everybody else. I looked around and finally found Ian standing lonely on the field below us, giving me a slow, impressed clap. I rolled my eyes and took a dive down toward him, pulling up sharply, a foot or two from the ground.

His eyebrows shot up and he nodded, impressed.

"What's the applause for?" I asked him, gazing down at him.

"That was a pretty nice trick you did."

"Uh, thanks?" I said, waiting for further scrutiny.

He didn't disappoint. "But, you know, you could've added a little more to make it top notch."

Indignant, I crossed my arms, balancing on my broom without my hands. "Hey! My brother taught me that trick when I was ten. That's the most complex that trick can get." Was he seriously judging my ability?

"The most comple–?" he stared incredulously at me. His tone told me that he thought I was completely naïve. "Oh, Jenyse, you've got a lot to learn." He stood before me, shaking his head.

I eyed him down, suspicious of his comment. I could tell he wanted me to ask him to delve into an explanation. I couldn't help it. I bit his bait. I was too curious. "What do you mean, 'I've got a lot to learn?'"

"Ahh, you see, Jenyse Baccari, it's much more than ability. It's creativity, too. I understand that your brother taught to you when you were young, so you don't want to meddle with it, but if you want the trick to work in the setting of an actual match – and by work, I mean effectively – then you should put more into it." Ian emphasized his points with lively hand movements. "To make it effective, you need to add a little more to it and also fix what it already has."

During his little speech, I was enraptured by his intensity, enthusiasm, and words, but the haze I was in cut short at his last comment. "Fix what it already has? Are you saying I'm doing it wrong?" I glared him down with narrowed eyes. I'd been doing that trick for years! How could I possibly doing anything wrong with it?

He backed away slightly at my hostility. "Whoa. Down, girl," he said in attempt to calm me down a bit. He had his hands out in front of him as though he was trying to soothe a horse. "I'm just saying you could make your form a little better. Well, not your _form_," he let his eyes rake over the length of my body as he had done so many times before with the same exact smirk, "but, you know – your grip, your poise, your straddle. They could use a little adjusting."

I could tell that he wanted me to ask – no, _beg_ – him to show me what he meant and to tell me how to fancy the trick up even more. At first, my brain was saying, "No way, José, was I going to appease his big cocky head and ask him for help like a damsel in distress." But after I thought more about it, I realized it couldn't hurt to just hear what he had to say. So, again, curiosity got the better of me. Merlin! If I was a cat, I will have used up all my nine lives in just five minutes. I've got to work on the whole curiosity thing.

I sighed heavily, rolling my eyes, just so I could look somewhat reluctant. I didn't want to seem so easy to sway. "Oh, fine. Show me what you got."

A huge grin burst through his – evidently – mock serious and intense expression. "If you insist!"

Git.

Ian came closer to me, examining the way my body was aligned with my broom. "Alright, show me your grip."

I obliged and gripped my broom the way I did when I was flying. My eyebrows drew together when Ian tutted at my grip. Who did he think he was? James? No way was he going to tell me that my grip that I had been doing since I got my first broom when I was three was all wrong.

"Oh, Jenyse," he muttered disappointedly. "Okay, first off? Your shoulders are way too tense. Loosen up. Go on."

I tried to follow his instructions as best as I could. I willed my shoulders and back to relax, but they wouldn't listen. I could tell that I had a pure look of determination on my face. You would have thought that a Quidditch player of six years would be able to relax her shoulders without a single thought, but under the watchful eye of Ian Hayes, I couldn't.

"Come on, Jenyse, relax." Ian was watching me intently, waiting for the tension in my trapeziuses to go away.

I was so focused on trying to loosen up that I jumped when I felt Ian's big and strong, yet gentle, hands rest on my shoulders. They began to move slowly along the length of my shoulders in a soothing manner.

"Relax," he instructed softly. His hands ran from down my neck, across my shoulders, and back again. Even through my thick hoodie, his touch sent shivers down my spine. Involuntarily, my eyes began to close and I felt the tension in my shoulders fade under his hands. "That's it," he whispered.

My eyes fluttered open when the movement of his hands ceased. Though the movement stopped, but contact didn't. I hoped to Merlin he couldn't hear my pounding heartbeat or hitched breathing. I cleared my throat to assure that my voice wouldn't crack or do anything weird before asking, "What next?"

By his tone, I knew he was smiling slightly. "Next, we fix your grip."

As he said those words, my heart nearly stopped. Not because of the words themselves, but because of Ian's hands slowly moving from my shoulders, down my arms, and to my own hands, where they rested lightly. He paused and didn't move for a moment, which only lasted for half of a second. He squeezed my right hand a bit, telling me to let go so he could place it where he wanted it.

While he positioned my hands in the proper places, he spoke, still in the same quiet voice. "Your hands are too close together. If they're too close, that gives you less control on the broomstick. If they're more spread apart, then your control on turns and flips – keep your shoulders relaxed – will be much better. You'll feel a drastic difference when you start flying."

"Okay," I breathed. I was barely hearing what he was saying. All my focus was on not melting into his front. Because of his leaning over to maneuver my hands, his solid chest was pressing into my back. I didn't dare move any closer to his chest or abs or arms, because if I did, I might as well have just melted into a sloppy puddle of goo and dripped onto the field. I tried listening for his breathing pattern so that I could follow it and bring my own breathing to a slower rate, but when I finally did, I found that his breathing was as quick as mine was.

I carefully turned my head to get a glimpse of his face and maybe decipher the expression displayed upon it. I had expected him to be looking straight into my eyes when I faced him, but he wasn't. He was staring at my – _our_ hands. I followed his gaze and was shocked to see that my hands were shaking under his.

"Your hands are shaking," Ian murmured into my ear. Why, thanks, Sherlock. We couldn't have solved the case without you.

I let out a nervous laugh and convinced him that it was just the cold.

Finally, he tore his eyes away from our hands and directed them to my own eyes. "Right. Well, ahem, your straddle's actually pretty good, so I think you should try flying with that new grip."

I came out of the trance that I had gone into when I looked into his mesmerizing hazel-green eyes. "Yeah," I agreed, "I should." And with that, I sped off and up, the chill air feeling good against my heated cheeks. As I escaped from his hold, I heard him yell, "Remember to keep your shoulders relaxed!"

Not that I denied his knowledge, but I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that the form he taught me made maneuvering way easier. I couldn't help but let out the smile that I felt surfacing as I flew around my teammates and easily dodged Bludgers.

I was about to land next to a beaming Ian who didn't look too sad that he didn't have time to do the second part of our lesson.

"That's alright," he claimed. "We can finish next time."

Oddly glad that he still wanted to help me, I smiled and said, "Okay!" before walking with the rest of the team to the locker room.

We didn't exactly need to change or anything, but even after Wicked Wanton Wednesday practices, James had notes to share with all of us. We all sat down on the benches – myself in between Sirius and our fifth year Keeper – while James stood in front of us by the chalkboard. The rest of us talked quietly amongst ourselves while we waited for James to begin.

"Alright, team," James started, looking up from his notes with as smile. "Good practice today, I'm sorry for the dilemma we started out with, but I'm glad that you all – including myself – had a fun time today. With that said, I'll start with Colleen."

Colleen, our third Chaser moved her focus from Adam, our other Beater – who everyone, but Adam himself, knew she fancied – to her Captain. I spotted a bright blush spreading across her cheeks when she tore her eyes away from Adam.

"Colls, you flew excellent today," James praised, sounding proud of the fifth-year. "Your passing was flawless, your flying was controlled, and your tricks were smart and creative. Keep it up."

"Thanks, James!" Colleen said, still flushed but now because of the praise her Captain had given her.

James smiled in response before diving into his next set of notes. "Adam – you pretty much tore up those Bludgers, mate. Your strength was incredible, but you just need to work on directing your hits. Just focus a little more and you'll be good."

Adam saluted James, saying, "Yes, sir," then went back to flexing his muscles, making Colleen sigh.

James turned the attention over to our Keeper, Seth. After complimenting him on his saves but telling him he could still be a bit quicker, it was my turn.

"Jenyse, you sucked today."

"Pfft, I love you too, James."

James grinned when the rest of the team chortled, then quickly scanned his notes on me. "Let's see…your passing, as always, was perfect, your tricks were amazing, and…" James paused for a bit as he peered at me, "Jenyse, your flying towards the end of practice was _unbelievable_. I saw you down on the field with Hayes. What was he telling you?"

All curious eyes – even Colleen's – turned onto me. "He, um, he just fixed my grip and told me to keep my shoulders relaxed. Did it work?"

James stared at me like I was the Giant Squid asking him out on a date to Madam Puddifoot's. "Are you bloody seri–! Yes, it ruddy well worked! I don't think I've ever seen you fly so well in all our seven years of knowing each other! Is that all the advice he gave you?"

"Well, he was going to tell me how to make my favorite trick better and more effective in a match setting, but we didn't have time."

"Wow. I'll have to thank him. Amazing work today, Jenyse."

I beamed back at him for the praise.

After he was through his notes for everyone else, we all left and headed for the Great Hall. When James and I exited the locker room last, he went straight to Ian and walked alongside him, thanking him and discussing other ideas. Once or twice, I caught Ian smiling back at me.

I walked with Remus who offered to carry my broom, like he usually did, but I declined, as was customary.

"So," Remus began in a tone that made me scared for what was coming next, "what was with you and Hayes on the field earlier? You two looked pretty cozy."

I gulped. "Wh-what? Cozy? What are you talking about? He was just teaching me what to do to fly better. That's all."

"Sure, Jenyse. Of course," Remus said, but his smirk gave him away.

I sighed and we walked on. Upon reaching the Great Hall, the team split up to sit with our respective groups of friends along the Gryffindor table, while Ian headed to the Ravenclaws, but not before giving me a sly wink. I sat next to Remus and across from James, Lily, Sirius, and Peter, who was at Remedial Potions. Poor Peter, having to get an extra dose of Slughorn.

I ate dinner ravenously, excited to get to the pie. I sat, anticipating dessert for a good five to ten minutes impatiently. I tapped my fork against the wood of the table, annoying not only the Marauders, but everyone else in a five foot radius of me. Finally, what felt like an hour later, the remains of dinner disappeared and were replaced by loads and loads of pie. In flavors of lemon, key-lime, blueberry, strawberry, cherry, apple, pumpkin, cream, peanut butter, chocolate, pecan, and more, pies were displayed all across the four house tables and the head table.

I sat debating for a while which pie(s) I was in the mood for. In the end, I decided on sliver-sized slices of blueberry, apple, and cream. Each one was absolutely delicious. It was ridiculous, really, how good it was. I looked around me at my fellow school mates and professors. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the desserts as much as I was. Dumbledore was even taking forkfuls from each pie, testing them, seeming to enjoy each one. The house elves in the kitchens had really outdone themselves this time.

I followed the Headmaster's tactic and stole forkfuls from the slices of pie on the Marauders' plates. I managed to have a taste of each one of them by doing so.

When I was in the process of tasting the pecan pie off of Sirius's plate, I felt someone plop down onto the bench on the other side of me. Wondering who in their right mind would be moving at all during this time at dinner, I peered over and found myself face to face with Alec.

I began dangerously choking on the luscious piece of pecan pie in my mouth when I realized what my brain had done. How in the name of Merlin could my brain have confused him and Ian up that much? I mean, I had just spent a good portion of Quidditch practice with him, not sixty minutes ago. I convinced myself to take a different approach of a reaction to yet another painful mental slip-up instead of breaking down again like a weak little girly-girl. Instead, I took a second, staring at the pie on my plate, to recollect myself. Once I had gotten control of myself, I began to mentally chant, "_Ian Hayes. Ian Hayes. Ian Hayes. Ian Hayes. Not Alec. Cocky Ian Hayes. Corporeal Ian Hayes. Ian Hayes. Ian Hayes. Ian Hayes. Ian Hayes._

"IAN FREAKING HAYES."

Taking a final deep breath, I faced him. "What are you doing?" I demanded, trying to keep my cool, but failing. I sounded as anxious as I felt. For the second time, I wondered if he could hear my speeding heartbeat.

"Eating," he replied way more coolly than I, grabbing my fork and stealing a bite of my pie. When he took the fork out of his mouth, he shot me a cheeky smile before swallowing and greeting the rest of the group. "Hey, guys!"

There was a chorus of "Hey"s from my friends. Yeah, that's right. _My_ friends. Not his.

Hypocritically scandalized at his theft of my pie, I took yet another deep breath. "You know, I think the memory loss is kicking in again. The Ravenclaw table is over there," I said, pointing. "I really think we should work on this thing you've got with getting lost."

_My_ friends – except for courteous Head Girl Lily, but only when it came to outsiders to our little group – snorted; some into their drinks, some around chewed up bits of pie. I knew that they all knew that I was indicating the times Ian Hayes had been late to the first class of each day because of getting lost, since he didn't tail me to our first classes. You would've thought, memory loss or not, that one would remember where the most common classrooms of Hogwarts were stationed. I was slightly pleased to see Ian Hayes get a bit embarrassed at my comment. It contributed to my trying to get into the mindset that he was, in fact, Ian Hayes. Ian Hayes would definitely get humiliated for having done something as simple and stupid as getting lost. Ian Hayes was too proud.

"Hey!" he exclaimed defiantly. "I do not get lost."

The rest of us scoffed at his, giving each other eye rolls and knowing looks.

"I just...find alternate destinations."

I couldn't help but double over with laughter at that. Kudos to you, Ian Hayes. You cheeky git.

Evidently pleased with himself, he went to snatch my fork up again, but luckily, since I hadn't been in a coma for two years, my reflexes were faster. I seized the fork and quickly cut a portion of the apple pie with it, and dramatically and slowly moved the utensil closer to my open mouth.

Without any warning whatsoever, Ian Hayes's hand grabbed my wrist and quickly changed its direction, straight to his own inviting mouth. The boys' chortles and Lily's giggles brought me to the realization that the prat was trying to be humorous. Funny, I thought he was supposed to be irritating.

I glared into Ian Hayes's eyes which were alight with mischief and what I considered foolishness. He stared back at me with a plainly cocky grin.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Jenyse." He didn't look very sorry to me. "Did you want that bit of apple pie?"

I just glowered in response.

"I'm afraid it's all gone now, but," he pretended to find a lingering taste in his empty mouth, "I think there might be a bit of cinnamon-y goodness left on my tongue. Want a taste?" he offered, bringing his face closer to mine.

The anger draining from within me, I gazed intently into his hazel-green eyes.

My trance was broken by Sirius who suddenly jumped over the table, and squeezed in between Ian Hayes and me. I looked away quickly, but glanced back at Ian to find him smirking down at the table.

"So!" Sirius began obnoxiously, putting his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to his side. "This pie is great, isn't it? You know what else is great? Lily Evans's hair. Your hair is absolutely spiffingly bright and red, today, love, if I do say so myself. Do you guys not agree? I mean, come on. It just so perfectly complements that blush of hers, does it not?" Subtle, Sirius.

Lily rolled her eyes, blushing indeed, and gave me an apologetic look.

James, catching on, added, "Oh, yeah, Lils. Your hair looks remarkable today. Not that it doesn't every day, love." He finished by giving her a peck on the cheek.

Sighing and shooting James an unbelieving look for not going on with the skit, Sirius changed the subject without skipping a beat. "So, how 'bout that practice today, huh? Quidditch is fun, isn't it, James? How did the team look from the stands, Remmy? Sylly? How do you think I did? Peter, you're taking Divination, aren't you? How do you think the team did today at practice? Go on. Give us a guess."

Wow. I had to give it to Sirius for being so devoted. And successful, too. He managed to get James conversing with Ian Hayes about more tactics and alterations, and Remus and himself telling Peter events he had missed during Wicked Wanton Wednesday.

While the boys went on rants about Quidditch – which I would usually be involved in, but in this case was too exhausted to contribute – Lily and I sighed heavily and simultaneously groaned,

"_Boys_."

~*~

After dinner ended, I went to walk up to Gryffindor Tower with Travis. We were debating on which flavor pie was the best tonight when Sirius interrupted us on the third floor landing. I only noticed his presence when I saw Travis's eyes turn to slits as they stared at something a little ways behind me.

"What do you want, Black? You had Jenyse all dinner. They do say, 'sharing is caring,' though I'm not quite sure you're capable of that emotion at all," Travis spat.

Where the hell does this hostility come from? Travis hardly ever gets like this unless he's around the Marauders. And maybe Ian Hayes sometimes, but seriously….

"Yeah, yeah," Sirius said, surprisingly – to me – brushing off Travis's comments. Usually, he'd have a truckload of insults and witty comments to shoot back at him. "Jenyse, I need to talk to you. In private."

"Uhh," I said, confused, "about what?"

"Just– Please, come on. Really quick. Then you can go and hang out with this git. It won't take longer than a walk up to the common room."

"Alright."

Travis groaned.

"Hey. Behave yourself. I'll meet you up there."

Muttering to himself, he walked on.

Sirius held my forearm to hold me back and let a small group of first-years up the stairs ahead of us. He let go and we started up the marble staircase.

"What is it, Sirius? You realize you have like ten months to ask me what you should get for Peter's Christmas present."

He gave me an exasperated look and then moved onto the apparently more pressing matters. "So…would you rather me go around in circles and _then_ get to my point, or go straight to the point?"

"Hmm, let's see…could you go around in trapezoids instead of circles? I think that might make it a little more interesting, or captivating in the very least."

"Alright. Straight to the point it is," he said as we turned to climb the next staircase. "What's going on between you and Hayes?"

WHOA. Straight to the point? For once he took his name to heart. Needless to say, he took me completely off guard. He asked me what was going on between me and Ian Hayes. Was there an answer to that? By that, I meant a _truthful_ answer. There was no way that I could ever tell Sirius or anyone else the truth. No one would ever find out about my secrets about Ian Hayes. I didn't even understand! How could anyone else? No one could understand the kind of magic it took for me being able to see, hear, or touch Alec. No one could understand the way we quickly fell in love. No one could understand the way Alec left me to become Ian Hayes.

No one could understand the unbearable amount of pain that I had to go through when that transformation took place and that still lingered inside of me, resurfacing every time I was reminded of Alec.

I cleared my throat quietly to assure that it wouldn't crack and give me away. "I don't know what you're talking about, Sirius," I said, hoping I sounded convincing.

Sirius eyed me suspiciously. "Jenyse, you know you don't have to hide anything from me. And you know you _can't_ hide much from me. I mean, I've known and lived with you for seven years now. There's not much I don't know about you."

Oh, Sirius. You have no idea.

"I can tell that there's something you're not telling us. Something happened between you and Hayes. Or is happening. The way you two act around each other is just…I dunno. I mean, you guys act totally different toward the other. He's always flirting unrelentlessly with you. And then you're over there, acting like he irritates you, but I can tell that there's something else there. Something more than just two people fancying each other. Something you're keeping secret."

He paused to let all of this sink in.

"I'm not quite sure what it is yet, but if you won't help me understand, I'll just try to figure it out myself. I know you're probably thinking I'm just being an interfering arse, but…I just don't want you getting hurt, Jenyse."

I averted my eyes to my feet, climbing another set of stairs. I knew he meant well, but it wasn't as easy as he thought it was. I kept silent, and he went on.

"So," he said, stopping right before the portrait of the Fat Lady and turning to me to put his hands on my shoulders so that he could look me square in the face, "I'm just putting it out there that I can tell something's up. And just know that you can always come to me to talk or vent to if you need me."

I nodded, unable to speak. There were too many emotions swimming inside me. Confusion, pain, fear...

"And," he started, sounding a bit sheepish, "sorry for acting like a git when I see you two together. You know it's just because I want to protect you. And you know I want to protect you because–"

"–Because you love me," I finished for him exasperatedly.

He smiled. "Exactly." He leaned forward to press his lips to my forehead.

I wished I could tell him. Tell him everything. Tell him about everything that was going on with me.

Everything that was going on between the ruddy triangle that consisted of:

Me…

Alec…

And Ian freaking Hayes.

**A/N: sooo, did you like it? hate it? tell me in a review! make sure to mention your favorite parts/quotes! those are my favorite. thanks for reading! please review!**

~ Danica


	5. So when are you gonna make me dinner?

**A/N: HI! sorry! thanks to everyone! love you, adds! sorry again! read!**

Chapter 5: "So, when are you gonna make me dinner?"

This whole babysitting nurse job was getting more and more ridiculous. I sat waiting in vain for my unreliable and incredibly irritating patient in the cozy Room of Requirement on a Friday night, no less. "I'll meet you in the Room of Requirement," he said. "After dinner," he said. "Make sure you don't forget," he said. "Don't be late," he said. Argh, that bloody hypocrite! I had more to do than just sit waiting for him. I could be finishing Arithmancy homework, so I wouldn't have to do anything on Sunday night! Oh, I'm going to kill him.

I decided to give him five more minutes before going to search for him and dragging him up here by his tie or his collar or the short hairs at the back of his neck. As expected, he never came. Scowling and muttering to myself, I set off to find him, leaving the stuff necessary for the second checkup. I stormed through the halls, weaving through the few stray students, not bothering to block out the thought that Alec never would've let me wait that long for him.

As I was going down the second set of stairs, I spotted the bloody fool. He was sitting on a step, looking defeated with his elbows on his knees and head in his hands. Rolling my eyes and sighing with exhaustion of his behavior, I picked up my speed and approached him. I climbed past him so that I was on a lower step and could face him.

At the sound of my halted footsteps and the clearing of my throat, Ian lifted his head to look up at me sheepishly. When he realized it was me, his expression transformed into relief. I made a face at him because I didn't understand why in the name of Merlin he would be _relieved_ to see me. Wouldn't he have assumed I would scold him for not meeting me on time the moment I saw him? The boy was mental.

Evidently, we were practicing to film for a silent movie. I assumed my look translated to, "What the hell are you doing, just sitting on a step, while I'm waiting for you in the Room of Requirement?" He returned a look that said, "Stop looking at me like that. I have a valid reason to be here," and then pointed to his left leg.

That was when the silence ceased, for it was interrupted by my laughter that echoed off every wall. My burst of hysterics was so intense that I had to put my hands on my knees, since I couldn't stand up straight. While I was still laughing, I felt a sudden jolt from underneath me and before realizing the staircase was moving, I lost my balance and fell forward. I flung my arms out in front of me in attempt to keep myself from falling face first. I vaguely braced myself for the impact of my head hitting his, but never felt it. Instead of feeling contact on my head, I felt something on both of my sides.

I looked down and saw his hands resting between my waist and hips. I peeked up to see him glancing back and forth between my own hands and my eyes. I followed his gaze to find that my hands had landed on his shoulders. I retracted them quickly and then challenged his look by throwing my glance from him to his hands, as well, with a cocked brow.

His eyes grew big and his face adopted a light shade of red after he realized how long his hands were really there. "Oh," Ian said, pulling back his hands with a slightly nervous laugh, "Sorry. Quidditch reflexes. Heh."

"Ah, sure. So, I guess I can cross that off on today's checkup list, huh?" I mimed checking something off an imaginary list, saying, "Reflexes…check!"

He made a face at me and then said, "Alright, you wanna help me out here now?" noting to his trapped leg.

I laughed again, but didn't move to help him quite yet. "Let me guess. You _forgot_ about the trick step, didn't you?"

"Hey! Brain damage here!"

"I rolled my eyes and as I help him up and out of the step, I said, "You know, you won't be able to use that excuse for forever."

Ian answered with, "Yeah, but I intend to use it for as long as I can, thanks," and we set off for the Room of Requirement.

We walked side by side, not really saying much, which was ridiculously surprising to me. The kid usually blabbed his face off! I told myself that I shouldn't get used to the silence, because I knew that once we were in the room by ourselves, Mr. Motormouth would be off and running once again. We stepped in and went to our usual checkup spots – him on the couch, me on the coffee table.

Wordlessly, I pulled out the list of this week's tasks that my dad had sent me in reply to last week's results and looked it over. Easy enough, I thought after reading it through.

"So, Madame Baccari! What's the procedure for today? Do you need me to undress and wear one of these gowns that reveals my arse?" And there it goes.

"Nope, not this time. Sorry," I replied, trying to seem distracted.

Ian sighed dramatically while I prepared for step one: 'Same as last time (remember; pulse, _Frequenzacardi_, tap paper).'

Just like last time, I stalled and stared at his neck. No. I refuse. "Find your pulse," I ordered, picking up my wand and pulling the piece of parchment so that it was right next to me. I looked up expectantly, but found that he hadn't moved. "Find your pulse," I repeated a little more forcefully.

He just leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, with a playful smile. "You know, I think I may have forgotten how to find it. What a shame. Well, looks like you're gonna have to do it!" he said cheerfully, clearly not believing that his "memory lapse" was a shame at all. "Go on," he urged after a short while that consisted of me just glaring, repulsed, at the side of his neck. He looked as though he was baring his neck for a vampire to have a feast. Not that they'd find any blood up there. Maybe a little lower on his anatomy.

I knew I wouldn't be able to make him do it himself. Re-navigating my glare up to his face, I hesitantly reached out with two of my fingers. I looked away when I felt contact and felt around for movement beneath my finger pads quickly. When I succeeded, I hastily replaced my fingers with my wand, whispered "_Frequenzacardi_," waited for a minute to pass, moved my wand to today's report parchment, and watched as his resting heart rate number appeared. Highly confused, I stared at the number with my eyebrows uncomfortably drawn together.

"What's wrong?"

"Your RHR is way too high. At least, compared to last week's, it is."

To my surprise, he laughed. Frankly, I didn't think this was much of a laughing matter. The guy had been in a coma for two years. Anything wrong with his body, especially a much needed organ like his heart, was something to worry about.

I couldn't help but start panicking when he asked, "Your dad didn't happen to give you any potions or anything for hearts and lungs, did he?" suddenly seriously.

Seeing my unnerved state, he laughed again and said, "Sorry. I was just kidding. I'm just upset that you seem to dislike me."

I blushed and glared at him again. "And why, may I ask, would that be at all upsetting?" I asked, cursing my voice for cracking.

"Oh, come on, Jenyse. A girl like you?" He made me blush even more by giving me his customary once-over that I had still not gotten used to. "You take my breath away," he breathed theatrically.

I felt my stomach clench at those words, but tried not to let how much they affected me show on my face. I mean, he was only saying that because he – miraculously – thought I looked good. He didn't mean it. I arranged my features into a scowl and pointed out that he drowned, so oxygen jokes were less than humorous.

He just chuckled.

"Anyway," I muttered, the worry returning to me, "I still don't understand why your RHR is way high."

"You realize that that's your fault, don't you?"

I stared at him with incredulity displayed across my face. What the hell was he playing at? How on earth could his speeding heart rate be at all my fault? Maybe his head was more damaged than I thought.

"It's not _my_ fault my heart starts racing when I'm being caressed by my really attractive nurse."

I forgot to be embarrassed and went straight to retorting, "What? I wasn't _caressing_ you! As if! I was merely feeling around for your pulse! Hah! As though _I_ would ever try feeling you up. I mean, feeling your neck up. You act like I _wanted_ to be the one to find it in the first place. Tchyeah right. No way!" I stopped, realizing I was rambling nonstop, and turning even redder than I had already been. I chanced Ian a glance to see that he was trying to hold in a fit of laughter, but there was something else hidden behind his amusement that I couldn't quite identify. I decided to let it go. "And, anyway, even if what you're saying is true – which I personally believe is _not_ – we have to redo the test. And just so we're sure the same thing won't happen again, you're going to find your own pulse this time. So, go on."

It seemed that he had finally lost control of his laughter, since it burst out of him and went on until I stopped it with a silencing charm. I had to admit that it was pretty amusing how his face went from laughter to blank, to confused, to irritated. I couldn't help but let a laugh out myself when he started mouthing soundlessly at me with an angry expression. When I felt that he had been punished long enough, I lifted the charm.

"That wasn't funny," Ian stated, childishly crossing his arms.

Chuckling a little, I said, "I beg to differ. You know, I think that was the longest I've ever seen you quiet. I should do that more often." I found a sick pleasure seeing him scowl.

"Hey. You know you love my dulcet tones. Especially when I talk about how nice your form is." Need I really say that he had given me another once-over?

"I do not!" I retorted untruthfully.

"Your face," he claimed with a smirk, "begs to differ."

Damn my face and its tendency to redden when I least want it to!

~*~

"Lily, Lily, Lily, where's Lily?" I muttered to myself as I sprinted through the corridors to get to Gryffindor Tower and up to my dorm. "Ooh, sorry!" I called over my shoulder to the kid I tripped over while coming out of the portrait hole, into the common room. "Lily, Lily, Lily," I muttered again while climbing the stairs, two steps at a time.

One would probably be pretty surprised to see me looking anxiously for Lily Evans of all people. If someone had known my mission and asked me why, I would have to quickly come up with some lie about schoolwork or something, because no one would understand the truth. Nor would they care if I tried to explain. Because no one but me knew the back-story of the event that had just taken place.

After Ian had made the comment about my stupid face, I had gotten so flustered that I knocked the bag of potions next to me off of the coffee table. I had quickly told him that I didn't need help to pick all of the vials up and crouched down to gather them all and hide my heated face. As I went to pick one of the bottles up, I happened to read the label on it. I had never bothered to read any of them, never really being interested in potions. When I read the label, I almost banged my head on the edge of the coffee table. Actually, I think I _did_ hit my head. I wouldn't have been surprised if I had and hadn't realized it.

I had stared into Alec's eyes in the face of Ian, searching for something in them. I couldn't tell what exactly I was looking for – maybe a piece of Alec or something a little less Ian – but I didn't find it. "You're taking a memory potion," I'd told him in a small voice.

He had eyed me concernedly and said, "Uh, yeah, I've _been_ taking that potion. It's for my short-term memory. Jenyse, are you okay?"

"No," I had thought, but aloud, I assured him that I was, and went on with the checkup. The moment it was over, I had run to find Lily.

And I had finally found her, lounging on her bed, reading a book probably titled "James Potter: An Autobiography," because Merlin knows he's the only one who'd want to write a book about himself. "Lily!"

Lily looked up, seemingly surprised. "Oh," she said, "hey, Jenyse." She looked down briefly at her book, probably to implant the number of the page she was on (James's first bath complete with picture and all) in her head before putting it down on her bedside table, sitting up, and turning back to me. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing," I lied, trying to seem nonchalant about the situation and plopping down onto my own bed, next to hers. "I just came from this week's checkup with Ian."

"Right! It's Friday," she observed. "How'd that go?"

"Interestingly, actually," I admitted. Taking a deep breath, I plowed on before I could change my mind about asking her advice. "Well, I noticed that Al- – I mean, _Ian_ – is taking a short-term memory potion."

She nodded, not at all shocked. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I mean, he does sort of seem to have a bit of brain damage."

I ignored the feeling of amusement that rushed through me and said, "Right. Well, I was just wondering if…" I paused. Did I really want to hear the answer? I wasn't so sure anymore. I didn't want to get my hopes up. And what if I got an answer that I didn't want? Then what? Questions like these filled my head. In the end, I decided that it couldn't hurt to just ask. "Uh, I was just wondering if– if he were to take a long-term memory potion….Do you think he would remember more of the stuff that happened before he got into the coma? I mean, if there _were_ things he didn't remember from during– I mean, _before_ his coma?"

Lily looked thoughtful for a moment before she said, "I dunno. I guess it _could_ work. Though, I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't, either. The mind is really complicated and memories are even more so. I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you."

"Hopes?" I blurted out frantically. "Who said anything about hope?" I sat, rigid, on my bed, afraid that if I made any move, it would give me away.

Lily eyed me suspiciously as she ran her hand through her fiery, red bangs. The movement reminded me of the way James always ruffled up his own hair. "Um, no one, Jenyse. I was just saying that there's a fifty-fifty chance that it will or won't work," she said slowly. "Are you okay, Jenyse?"

My body relaxed when I realized I had just overreacted. "Yeah," I said, waving my hand as if to physically dismiss her concern. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Without waiting for her to reply, I hopped up and went over to my trunk to fish out my pajamas. I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth and change. By the time I returned to the dorm, the rest of our roommates had come back from their after-dinner whereabouts and were all getting ready to go to bed. I slid into my four-poster and lay there, all the while thinking how in Merlin's name I was going to slip Ian Hayes a long-term memory potion without him knowing.

~*~

"Oh, Trav-Trav the Asexual La-ad!"

"Are you ever going to stop calling me that? You know, maybe before we hit 50 years of age?" Travis asked, stopping at the end of the corridor and turning to face me.

"Nope," I assured him.

He sighed. "Didn't think so." He met me halfway into the hallway to give me a hug. Over the top of my head while he was still holding me, he said, "Hey, is that your owl?"

"What? My owl? I don't have an owl. You know that. You killed my owl." I extracted myself from his arms and swiveled to the window behind me. Sure enough, there was an owl fluttering outside, holding a letter in its beak. I recognized him or her as the school owl I used to send my dad yesterday's checkup results. Eager, as I always was whenever I got a letter from home, I strode over to the owl to relieve him or her of his or her burden.

"Hey! I did not kill your owl!" exclaimed Travis, nervously defiant, just as a little Hufflepuff girl turned into the hallway we were in. Needless to say, she turned right back around. Travis, who ignored the girl, pointed an accusing finger at me. "You didn't tell me not to feed him owl treats! What kind of owl is allergic to owl treats? And you said you forgave me for that!"

Sniggering, I said, "Chill, Trav. I was joking. Now, hold on while I read this." I sat down against the wall, under the window and opened up the envelope containing my letter.

Travis glared and moved to sit down next to me with his legs in pretzel style, while, I, vaguely reveling in the fact that I wasn't in my uniform skirt, but in nice, non-revealing jeans, sat with my knees comfortably bent upward. Travis fiddled with some thread on his sweater as I dived into my father's letter.

_Hey, Jeneesy!  
I miss you, too. Home just isn't the same without you. Your mother wants to buy a pet (she wants a cat, but you're allergic, thank Merlin) just so she can name one more baby with a J name. I think she's just getting depressed about finally hitting menopause. Anyway, thank you for the checkup results. It seems like everything's going fine for Ian, according to what you wrote down. I'm just wondering: socially, how is he doing? Has he made new friends? You're not ignoring him, are you? Please don't still be being stubborn. I don't understand why you're so opposed to him. You seem to have no problem with talking to every single __other__ guy in that school. Seriously, Jenyse. I get enough stress from work and your mother every day. I don't need you to add to the pot. How are those friends of yours? Still just friends? Good. I hope all is going well with the James and Ian's tutoring sessions. Jaylyn's fine. She's still alive and healthy. I'm still worried that Jayden's going to drop her on her head one day. Well, it's time for brunch with Jarron, Alaina, and the kids. He'll probably yell at me for not telling you he said "Hi" in my letter, so I'll just tell you in advance. Your mother sends her regular reminder to drop the coffee. Love you, Jeneesy. Thanks again, kid!  
– Dad_

"You know," I said mock-sadly, to get Travis's attention, "I really did love that owl."

Travis's head snapped up to look me in the eye and retorted, "I did _not_ kill your owl!"

I laughed at his panicked expression while I folded the letter up and stuffed it in my jeans pocket, planning to send a short reply later. "Sure you didn't, Trav. So, where were you heading before I stopped you?"

"The common room," he replied, "but I wasn't going to do anything up there. Just bum around. What do you want to do?"

"I've got no preferences."

"Alright," he said, getting up and then pulling me up with him, "let's go for a walk outside."

I halted, and he started tugging on my hand to follow him. I resisted, staring at him incredulously. "Travis, it's freezing out there. You do remember that it still snows in February, right?"

"Oh, don't be a wimp."

Excuse me? He did not just call me a wimp. I opened my mouth to retort back, but he beat me to it.

"Come on," he said, dragging me forward again. "We'll go up to our dorms to grab really, really warm clothes. I'll even let you borrow that sweater you're always stealing from me."

I thought about declining again, but a walk around the snowy grounds did kind of sound appealing to me. Sure it'd be cold, but Travis was right; that sweater – which I still had in my trunk – would help. And I'd feel bad blowing Travis off again. I'd been doing that a lot lately, what with Ian tagging along everywhere I went. Maybe I could file a complaint about stalking.

"I'll let you wrap my good fluffy blanket around you," Travis bribed.

"Done deal," I said. I really loved that blanket. It was full of down, the perfect length – not too long, so we wouldn't be tripping over it – and could cover three grown men, if they stood close together. But that'd be awkward. Anyway, Travis and I would be perfectly warm with the magical (not literally) blanket wrapped around us.

Travis grinned and we went to Gryffindor Tower, changed, and met back in the common room.

When we got to the large oak doors, I was stopped by Travis, who wrapped the blanket around me. I made a face at him and let the cloth engulf him, too. I reciprocated his grateful smile.

Once we were both snug and warm, with Travis's arm around my shoulders and mine around his middle, we began our stroll across the grounds.

Travis asked, "So, who was the letter from?"

"Oh," I started, reluctant to dive into this conversation, "just my dad."

"What'd Papa Baccari want?" he questioned curiously.

I mentally groaned. I didn't see any reason to lie, except that Travis hated Ian. Why? I had no idea. Maybe because Ian was starting to hang out with the Marauders more and more. I decided the truth would be bearable. I'd done enough lying lately to save me a small corner in hell. "He was just replying to the checkup results I sent him this morning. The Ian checkup, I mean."

Travis's arm stiffened a little on my shoulders. "Oh. So," he said in a forced conversational voice, "how are those going?"

"Fine. I'd rather they not be going on at all," I said, just to keep him in a good mood. It was true, though. I could do without them. But with my new discovery of memory potions, they might turn out to be worth the pain. Just for kicks, I added, "He keeps making stupid nurse references, like the suggestion he made for me to wear a – now, these are his words – 'sexy nurse outfit.' He's ridiculous. I mean, me in a dress? Kill me first."

Travis chuckled, but it died away quickly. "So, what's the deal with Hayes, anyway?"

"Huh? I have no idea what you're talking about. There is no 'deal with Hayes.' What do you mean?"

"Nothing," I answered, much too quickly to be nonchalant. "Nothing. I just thought…nothing." He looked so flustered. Maybe Travis was going mental.

"Right…" I said, and we fell into a silence.

We walked alongside the lake. Everything looked so pretty and magical covered in snow. Winter was my favorite season because of the snow. It always made everything look surreal. It made it look like all of our surroundings were shining and shimmering. Everything was white, from the castle's, Hagrid's hut's, and the greenhouses' roofs, to the treetops, to the ground. It was almost unbearable how magnificent snow made the earth look. The only bad thing that came with snow was the cold. But I could take the cold. Before I came to Hogwarts, I had gone to a private primary school with uniforms kind of like Hogwarts's. We'd have recess outside, even during the winter, and all I would have to cover my legs were shorts under a pleated skirt and knee-highs. I repeat: I could take the cold.

As I looked out across the frozen lake, thinking about coldness, I was reminded of Alec and Ian. If one person could understand real coldness, it would be them. Wow. That sentence was quite grammatically incorrect. But even though I viewed them as two different people, I supposed to the world's eye, they would be one person. How complicated. My brain hurts.

I don't know what emotion my face showed, but Travis noticed it.

"Something wrong, Jenyse? You look worried…or confused," he observed with his blonde eyebrows drawn together. "Or…maybe you're cold. Are you cold?" he asked anxiously, rubbing my arm to cause some friction.

Huh…was I displaying all of those emotions at once? Geeze. Should my face be hurting right now? "No, I'm not cold. Hey," I said, changing the subject, abruptly, "have you decided what you're going to do when we get out of this place?"

Travis had been undecided for quite some time. Sure, he'd come up with a career once in a while, but it would always change. Sometimes he wanted to be a Healer, then an Auror, then a teacher, then a potion maker, then a writer or journalist. He was quite a confusingly diverse lad.

He looked over at the Whomping Willow to watch it shake the snow off of its branches. Once it was free of the wonderful, icy substance, Travis sighed and turned back to me. "No. I just don't know what I love enough to do for a lifetime. I mean, getting up and doing the same thing every day just seems so boring to me."

"Then get an exciting job," I suggested simply. "Didn't you want to be an Auror at some point?"

"Jenyse. I'd get killed during the first day…" he said, seriously, "of _training_."

I couldn't keep the laughter in at the site of his grave expression. "Ahh," I sighed when I calmed down, and rested my head against his side. "You'll figure it out." I knew he would.

He sighed, too. "Yeah…. How's the restaurant idea coming along?" he asked, giving me a slight squeeze.

I smiled. "I can't wait! It's going to be so fun! I just need to find other cooks. My sister can interior design it. I already have names for things on the menu," I ranted excitedly. I couldn't hold my excitement in. If I did, I'd have to burst some day. I may as well give it out in installments.

Travis laughed at my enthusiasm and ruffled up my hair. "Oh, really? Do tell."

"Alright, so, I'm gonna have some kind of ravioli, I don't know what kind yet, but on the menu I'm going to call it 'Holy Moly Ravioli.' And I'll make some kickarse fried calamari and call it 'Squidalicious.' I'll have 'Soup of Yesterday,' a steak called 'Merlin Seared,' and desserts will be called '5 Reasons Not to Eat Too Much Bread.' I've got it all planned out!"

After every dish title I named, Travis burst out laughing. Yes! Mission accomplished. I'd been trying to think of clever and funny names for all of my dishes since I made my first grilled cheese when I was nine. I had a whole list of them.

"That's fantastic, Jenyse. I'll go there every day," he promised with a smile.

I grinned back at him and said, "That would make every day of my life."

He chuckled lightly.

On our walk, we talked more about my restaurant and other jobs that Travis could take. By the time we got back to the spot we started, both of our feet were freezing. I wouldn't have been surprised if my toes were black, they were so cold. Before we turned onto the path leading to the Entrance Hall, Travis stalled.

"Hey, uh, Jenyse?"

"Yeah, Trav?" He better not take long. My feet were freezing! I didn't think I could even make it to the door. Were my feet frozen to the ground? Uh-oh.

"Do you – uh… – would you want to – er – go to – to eat food? I mean, to dinner? With me? Uh…sometime? Somewhere? In Hogsmeade? Maybe?" he offered.

Oh no. Suddenly, I felt really guilty. I had been going to Hogsmeade with the Marauders all year, except for that one time I introduced Travis to my other friends. And that wasn't even a whole day with him. I am one horrible friend. "Of course, Travis!" I told him.

His head snapped up to look at me. "Really?"

"Yeah! I'd love to! I'm sorry I haven't really gone to Hogsmeade with you this year. I feel bad. But next trip, we'll spend the whole day together. I promise." I gave him a reassuring smile to show that I wouldn't go back on my word. "Now, let's get inside before I become an icicle."

Travis laughed heartily and we set off once again.

"So, when are you gonna make me dinner?" he joked as we walked up to the castle.

"Anytime you want! We could go to the Room of Requirement. That would be great! I could make you a bunch of food. I haven't cooked much for you, have I? That's a shame. Well, when we do this, you better show up starving, because I–…."

"Jenyse?" Travis said apprehensively.

But I barely heard him, for I had just been hit with a brilliant – beyond brilliant – idea.

~*~

It took me the rest of Saturday and all of Sunday to work out my plan. It shouldn't be too hard. I just had to say the right things to him, was all. But if I said something wrong, the whole thing was a no-go. I had to do this the right way, or I'd never get him to take it.

It was Monday morning, and I slid into my seat in my Arithmancy class – my first class of the day. I was almost always the first one to get to class, if it was Arithmancy. It was my favorite class to learn in, even though I had the most fun in Transfiguration. Luckily, today I was, in fact, first in the classroom. I sat and waited.

Not three minutes later, Ian showed up and slumped into the seat next to me. He put his head down in his arms on the desk without acknowledging my presence.

"Good morning, sunshine," I greeted him brightly…or irritatingly – take your pick.

He lifted his head a centimeter to peek at me with a narrowed eye. He grunted before he put his head back down.

"Why are you so tired?"

His reply came out muffled, but I could interpret it. "Too early. Too, too early. Early bad. Morning bad. Daylight bad. Night good."

I laughed loudly. He couldn't even put together a full sentence. "What were you doing so late last night that's making you this tired?" I paused. "Or…do I not want to know?" Merlin, if he…. No.

He made an odd noise, but from seeing his torso move up and down slightly, I gathered that he was laughing. "Doing homework."

I sighed with relief, while the bell rang and the classroom filled with students.

Professor Medina ambled up to the front of the classroom, telling us to take out our parchment and quills, set up our number charts, and our assignment of the day.

As I began writing numbers one through nine across the top of my parchment, I dove into the first stage of my plan: get Ian to ask me to make him dinner.

Yes, yes, I know. It was sneaky. And potentially dangerous. My agreeing to make him dinner might be considered as agreeing to a date with him, in his mind. It was totally not what I was intending, though. If this current conversation worked out, the next stage of the plan was foolproof. And, I mean, it couldn't be _that_ hard to succeed in this stage, especially since there were no Marauders in this class to eavesdrop. James was the only one who took this class with me, but he was off on the other side of the classroom with Lily.

"Do you like this class?" I started lamely.

"Huh? Yeah, sure," he answered vaguely – and still not in sentences longer than that of a two-year-old.

"'Sure?'" I asked feeling guilty. I stopped writing to look at him. "That's it? I'm sorry. If I had known, we could've asked Dumbledore if you could take a different class instead. It might not be too late to change." I felt so bad, even though I wasn't even obligated to. It was really my father's fault. He was the one who forced Ian to take all of my classes, not me.

Ian looked over at me, looking as though he was coming out of a trance. "Huh? What are you talking about, Jenyse?" Oh, a complete sentence.

My eyebrows shot up as I stared at him. "The class…you don't like it."

It was his eyebrows' turn to fly. "What? When did I say that?"

"You!" I exclaimed. Unbelievable! "I asked you if you liked this class and you said, 'Sure,' in a not-very-convincing tone."

His expression turned into confusion and disbelief. "I did? Hmm…."

I just stared for a few seconds before turning back to my quill and parchment. "I think you need some coffee," I said, shaking my head.

"I agree. Let's go."

I froze again. It was a moment before I could turn my head and look at him like he was mental. "What? We're in the middle of class!"

"So?" he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"_Sooo_ we're in the _middle of class_!" I articulated forcefully. I swiveled my head all around to see if anyone was listening in on our conversation. "We can't just leave now!"

"Why not? It's not like we're missing anything. You've got the best grade in the class and I can just copy off of you. So…?" he pushed expectantly.

"No," I refused fiercely. I was not going to skip class. Not once in all my years at this school had I skived off a class. Yes, James and Sirius had always tried to convince me to play hooky, but I was an expert at living above the influence.

Ian groaned and banged his fist against the table in disappointment. "Aw, come on, Jenyse."

"No," I repeated. Then a thought struck me…and I went for it. "If I skip class, I might not learn something essential to my career." Come on, Hayes…go for the bait.

He looked dubious when he questioned, "Your career? And what would that be?" Good boy.

"I'm going to open a restaurant," I answered, with confidence.

"Oh?" He lost all of the frustration and was filled with interest. "A restaurant? What kind of food? Muggle, wizard, or both?"

"Both."

"Mmm, sounds good. So, that means you're a good cook, right?" Ahh, just where I wanted him.

I strained to hold back a smile of satisfaction. "Yeah, I guess. I must say that I cook a mean grilled cheese," I joked.

Ian smiled and leaned over, closer to me. "So, when are you gonna make me dinner?"

Stage one: COMPLETE.

~*~

Oh, Merlin. Why did I do this? Did I wrong myself? Did I do something to make me want to influence pain on myself? Why, why, why?

Because this could be my chance to bring Alec back. My Alec. Anything was worth having him back.

I scrambled around the Room of Requirement, searching for ingredients in various cupboards.

When I got to the hallway outside of this room at six o'clock, I walked back and forth along the stretch of blank wall, thinking, "My room, plus a kitchen full of the ingredients I need," over and over again. I took a huge breath before opening the door to the room I only made once in a while. I had made this room maybe only two or three times a month. I thought it might look a little fishy if I disappeared too much during meals.

As I stepped inside, I realized that I had no idea how much I was going to make. I had never watched Ian or Alec eat. Finally, I figured that he was a boy, and I had enough experience watching boys eat to know that I would need to cook a lot. I wasn't much of a modest eater myself.

And then, I realized that I didn't know what he liked to eat, either. There were so many dishes in this world, let alone the Muggle world. Did he prefer wizarding food or Muggle food? Was he allergic to anything? Was he opposed to anything, like vegetables or seafood? Was there anything he couldn't stand eating because he'd gone through a period of eating that same thing every day until he got sick of it? He wasn't a vegetarian, was he?

I was sure my dilemma was pretty clear.

Just when I was trying to find some pepper in a rather large and full cupboard, I heard the doorknob turn and Ian step in. Careful not to hit my head on any shelves, I extracted my head from inside the cupboard to turn to him.

"I was so expecting to walk in and be greeted by a terrific scent," he said with mock dissatisfaction and a taunting smile, "like in those cooking movies. I'm disappointed, Chef Baccari."

I groaned loudly and turned back to the spices. "Sorry, but I got here and realized that I have no idea what you like to eat, or what you can eat, or how much you eat…." I stopped when I heard him laugh.

"Jenyse. I'm a guy. I eat anything."

"You're not allergic to anything?"

"No."

"You don't get sick when you eat anything?"

"Nope."

"You're not vegetarian?"

"Nopety nope, nope, nope."

"Oh." Thank Merlin. But wait. Aw, damn. That means there's so much more dishes to choose from. "Alright, then what's your favorite food?"

He sighed – probably at my being so difficult – and sauntered over to lean against the counter next to me. "Jenyse, anything. What's your specialty? I hear you make a mean grilled cheese," he offered with that crooked smile of his.

Seeing that smile made me calm down a little. I took a deep breath and calmly moved the cupboard door enough to allow me a view of him. "Mine's not as good as my mum's."

"Well, I'll never know. But, seriously, Jenyse. Anything is fine."

I hesitated before I went on to make the meal. "You're not opposed to eating veal, are you? I mean, yeah, boo-hoo, they're babies, but they're just gonna grow up to be killed and eaten, aren't they?"

Ian guffawed and shook his head. "No, Jenyse. I am perfectly fine with consuming a killed innocent child cow."

I smiled gratefully. "Good. Now," I said, finally getting into cook-mode, "go sit over there, far away from the kitchen, and I'll get right to it."

"What, am I not privileged enough to watch the chef cook, up close and personal?" he accused with a smirk.

"That's exactly it," I said. "Now, get over there and be a good boy." I pushed him by the back in the direction of the couch.

He laughed and complied.

I went back into the kitchen part of the room to create my specialty meal. It was veal with a really smooth and light Marsala sauce, with a side of creamy mashed potatoes. It was one of my favorite recipes. It didn't take too long for me to make it – at least, Ian didn't have time to call out _all_ of the stupidest questions he could think of, before I finished and brought over our plates to the coffee table. I quickly ran back to put the small chocolate chip lava cake filled with soon-to-be-hot fudge – which I had been work on the same time the veal and potatoes were cooking – into the oven, then returned to my seat on a cushion on the floor with our glasses of butterbeer.

"Dig in," I invited, as I picked up my own fork and knife in anticipation.

"Wow, Jenyse. This smells, looks…" Ian put a forkful of meat and potatoes into his mouth, chewed, then swallowed, "and _tastes_ incredible."

I couldn't help but grin giddily at his praise. "I'm glad you think so."

"Mmm," he murmured with satisfaction. "I am _so_ living not ten minutes away from your restaurant when you open it, so that I can eat there every day. You'll give me a discount, won't you?"

I laughed and told him that I would.

Once we finished eating our main course, the timer of the oven went off, and I went to tend to the dessert. I put a scoop of ice cream on top, to cover the hole of the cake filled with melted fudge, and then poured some chocolate on top of the ice cream. I used my wand to freeze the chocolate on top to make it like a thin shell around the ice cream.

Before I transported it to the coffee table, I thought, "I need two mugs. One filled with coffee." Two mugs appeared in front of me. After making sure Ian wasn't watching me, I pulled out a vial of the long-term memory potion – which I had made right after my last class of the day – from the cupboard I hid it in, uncorked it, and poured it into the empty coffee mug. As quietly as possible, I took out my wand and muttered a couple of spells to make the potion taste and appear like it was real coffee.

"If that dessert tastes as amazing as it smells, I might just have to move in with you when we graduate."

'_Well_,' I thought, '_if this works, I will have no problem whatsoever with that arrangement_.'

I managed to get the cake and two mugs to the coffee table in one trip, making sure I gave Ian the right cup of coffee.

"Here's that coffee I owed you from this morning."

"Hah. Funny joke. Thanks for getting it to me when I actually need it," he replied sarcastically.

I ate my spoonfuls of cake, waiting anxiously for Ian to take at least a sip of his 'coffee,' but he wouldn't. He just kept eating and eating and telling me how delicious it was.

Finally, when the all of the cake and ice cream were gone, Ian picked up his cup. I watched him intently, eager for him to drink it and the result that would come of his drinking it.

"Wow, Jenyse," he said for the billionth time, with the rim of the mug a foot from his lips. "That meal was unbelievably delicious. I can't believe I got you to agree to make me dinner."

I laughed nervously, barely listening to what he was saying. "Yeah..." Just drink the damn potion!

At last, the brim of the coffee cup reached his lips, and Ian – to my surprise and relief – drained the whole cup in one go.

I didn't take my eyes off of him. I even tried not to blink. I waited and waited. If I were in a seat, I would have been on the edge of it, in anticipation.

Ian put the mug back down on the table and leaned back against the couch, seeming content with his eyes closed. "Mmm, even the coffee tastes good."

I blinked. That's it? I waited a little longer to see if the effects would eventually kick in. "Umm, do you have any _clue_ what time it is?" I tried.

"No. Probably seven or seven thirty, by now, though."

I waited again, before I tried a second time. I wasn't going to give up so easily. "Do you remember yet?"

His eyes opened and a crease grew between his eyebrows. "Remember what?"

A familiar sadness filled me and I had to look away from that shared face of his and Alec's. Resting my head against my arm that lay across the tops of my knees, I muttered, "Apparently nothing."

Nothing at all.

~*~  
**(old A/N from HPFF) A/N: AHHH! i'm so so sorry! i know i took LONGER than forever to update. i'm soooo sorry. i went on a week vacation in St. Croix in the Virgin Islands when i was writing chapter 4 from june 12 to the 21st. then i was home until july 3rd. spent a week in Orlando, Florida. had two days at home to unpack and repack and left on July 13th for the Philippines and stayed there until August 3rd. and then after all of those lame excuses, i had the most horrible writer's block. i know. so lame. so, since the queue is closing, even for TAs, i wrote a whole bunch yesterday and today, just for you guys. sorry again for the wait!**

just to try to gain your respect back (haha), here's something fun for you. i was on this site for names and personality things, i don't know, and i found this. enjoy:

Although the name Ian creates the urge to be creative and original, we emphasize that it causes a superior, interfering expression whose favorite expression is "I know." This name, when combined with the last name, can frustrate happiness, contentment, and success, as well as cause health weaknesses or accidents to the head, worry and mental tension.

sorry again! and thanks for reading! please review!

~ Danica


	6. You look really nice today, Jenyse

**new A/N: Hey there. So, as you should know, this story/series has been up on HPFF since I started it, and lately, I've been posting it, a chapter a week, on this site. With this chapter, I've finally caught you all up to where I am now. I am currently working on chapter 7, so I can't promise that it'll be up by next week. It's your turn to wait in agony! Thanks so much for reading!**

**(old A/N on hpff, posted on March 1, 2010) A/N: AHHHH! I am SO SORRY, my dear readers! I really didn't mean to take 6 – verging on 7 – months to update! I swear it won't happen again! Addison wouldn't let that happen again, anyway. =D I won't waste your time with the billions of excuses I could use to why I took so long. I just want to say thank you thank you thank you to ADDISON. Without her, this chapter wouldn't have been out until, I dunno…6 – verging on 7 – YEARS. You should thank her too! Her stories are on fanfiction . net under Molly Raesly. Love you, Adds! I would like to thank YOU for your patience!**

Finally, as today is a very special day and this chapter is a very special chapter, I would like to dedicate this chapter to and thank JENSEN! For being my model for Alec/Ian in both the visual sense (on my story banners found on my author's page!) and personality sense. I love you, Jensen. I want to marry you, Jensen. I have since kindergarten. No lie.

And to the story I send you! Thanks for coming back! I hope you enjoy!

~*~  
Chapter 6: "You look really nice today, Jenyse."

_"Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily; life is but a dream,"_ I sang to myself as I ran my hands through the water from the faucet. Having a healer as a father and a nurse as a mother, naturally, singing either "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" or "The Happy Birthday Song" in my head to make sure that I washed my hands for the accurate amount of time was automatic.

I turned off the faucet and wiped my hands on a towel. After quickly checking my hair in the mirror, making sure that it wasn't too neat or too messy in its ponytail, I exited the bathroom and headed for my first class – Charms.

After about a half of an hour, I managed to do the spell we were taught, so I decided to write a letter to Jarron.

_Hey, Jarron!  
How goes it with you and the fam? Is Alaina sick of you yet? I hope you're not corrupting poor Jondi's and Jaysen's brains. Remember: they're the next generation. We need them. The Baccaris must go on. You realize it's all up to you and Jayden, right? You two need to get a-crackin' and pop some boys out. Haha. Anyway, how's Jaylyn? Send some pictures, please! And give her a sniff for me. You know how much I love the smell of babies. I miss all of you guys. I really just need a break from this castle. I assume you've heard about dad's patient I've been practically babysitting–_

What was I thinking? Mentioning anything about Ian would just lead to a bunch of uncomfortable and unwanted questions and comments. Paranoid, I looked around to see if anyone was watching me or reading over my shoulder before scratching out the last two sentences.

_School's fine, I guess, but I'm looking forward to Easter break. A break from the castle would be nice. I'm gonna ask Mum and Dad if it's okay for my boys to come home with me for break. And if they do, RELAX and BE NICE. I'm still not with any of them. Ew. Boys are gross and icky. See? Breathe, Jarron, breathe. So, I hope you're taking care of my car. Jace better not be using it. Oh, gross. I just pictured her and David snogging in it. I'll kick her bloody arse if she does anything to my baby. Alright, well, I was just checking up on my least favorite oldest brother. Give everyone a hug for me!  
- Your favorite baby sister, Neesy_

Once the bell rang, signaling the end of the class, I jumped up and joined James. "Come with me to the owlery, then we can go to the kitchens," I proposed, to which he agreed.

After I picked an owl and sent my letter on its way to Jarron, we strolled down to the kitchens together.

Yesterday, as we ate our Wednesday night pie, he and I decided to skip breakfast – more time to sleep! – this morning and go straight to our first class, so that afterwards, we could have a J-Time brunch during our free period.

As I reached up to tickle the pear, James took the chance to tickle me as well.

"James!" I managed to get out in between fits of laughter as I tried to get a hold of his hands to keep them away from me. "Stop!"

"Alright, alright," James said, chuckling, "but only because I'm really hungry. Let's go." He put his hand on the small of my back to guide me through the door before him like the gentleman he was. How lucky Lily was.

"Sir James! Miss Jenyse!" exclaimed several squeaky, little voices.

We greeted the house-elves back cheerily and one named Binky approached us while the rest of them went back to doing whatever they were doing. "Sir James! Miss Jenyse! How happy Binky is to see you!" Binky was the house-elf that had always loved the Marauders and me. Ever since the first time we found the kitchens, he was always the first one to jump up to serve us. We all loved him as much as he seemed to love us.

"It's great to see you too, Binky!" I replied. "We've missed you!"

"We sure have," James agreed with a smile at the little guy.

Binky gave us a grin that stretched all the way from one side of his wide face to the other, excited that somebody had actually missed him. "How can Binky serve you today, sir, miss?"

"Well," James started for the both of us, "we'll have chocolate milk, eggs, toast, bacon, cheese, waffles, and french toast, please." Yes! French toast! Best breakfast food ever. Good job, James.

"Yes, sir!" Binky gave us one last smile before he went to make our order.

James and I sat down at an island away from all the house-elf commotion.

James leaned over the table toward me, smiling. "So, why were you sending a letter to Jarron? Were you telling him about me? I bet you were telling him about me. Right?" He gave me a suggestive eyebrow wiggle that made me roll my eyes.

"Thanks, Binky," I said to Binky when he gave us our glasses of chocolate milk. "Oh," I said, getting back to James's question, "yeah, of _course_ I wrote a whole letter to my brother all about you, James. Oh, he would just _love_ that!" We both laughed at the thought of it before I continued. "I just wanted to check up on things back home. And I did mention you, actually."

"Ah, yes. I knew you had to tell your brother how devastated you are that I'm still off the market, and that you'll never have your chance on the JJ Express."

"Oh, James," I said dramatically, "how ever did you guess? Am I _that_ transparent? I want you. I _need_ you. Oh, baby. _Choo-choo_." I mimed pulling down the whistle cord of a train.

Unexpectedly, James took my face and held it against his chest and started stroking it, saying, "Oh, Jenyse! It's alright. I'm here."

Unlike any other girl would have done, I tried pulling my head back, but his non-stroking hand kept me there. Punching him in the side worked, though, so, he released me, laughing just as loud as I was laughing.

"Ugh, gross, James germs!" I joked, straightening my hair and shirt out. "I'd rather not be on any train affiliated with you, unless it's filled with coffee and french toast. I honestly can't comprehend how Lily can put up with you."

"It's my sparkling personality."

"I highly doubt that."

"Alright, alright," he backtracked modestly. "It's the bod. Lily does love the abs. What can I say?" Making the stupid model face that he and Sirius always made just to fool around, he slowly lifted up the bottom of his sweater and shirt, revealing his flawless abs.

This time, _like_ any other girl, it was inevitable that my eyes be glued to his form. You could see every line that accentuated his six-pack. James definitely did _not_ draw his abs on. They were very, very real. While I was at it, I figured it was a good enough time to admire his facial features too, but before I could fully appreciate them, I realized that what I was doing was practically incest, which was incredibly gag-worthy.

"Hey, shirt down!" I ordered. "Innocent and virgin eyes here!" I glared at him when he didn't comply but just smirked at me. I could see the threat to tauntingly lift his shirt up further in his hazel eyes. "James Potter, you keep your clothes on or I'll really write to my brother about you. I doubt Lily wants a boyfriend who can no longer have children."

James visibly winced. He knew as well as I did that Jarron was always a violent soul. That character made Jarron a great Beater, though. We sure could use that this weekend against Slytherin.

I laughed before getting back to the actual topic. "Anyway, I told him that I was going to ask you guys to come home with me for Easter break. But you're probably just gonna go home or stay here with Lily, aren't you? I just wanted to be courteous and invite you anyway."

"You're thinking about Easter break already?" he asked, laughing at my impatience.

"What? It's only a month away," I said defensively.

James chuckled and shook his head. "Actually, Lily's going home for break. I'll definitely be going to the Baccari house. I miss Mama Baccari and I wanna give the little one a kiss, too."

I smiled, thinking about Jaylyn. Lucky girl, getting a kiss from James.

"But only on one condition," he said. "Please keep Jarron from beating me up. I will agree to _no_ Quidditch matches in which he is Beater."

While I was busy laughing at the thought of James getting a broken nose at the expense of my brother, Binky and a couple other house-elves came over to deliver our food. We thanked them and dug in – me going for the french toast, and James going for the waffles.

After our first few bites, James struck up conversation on our Quidditch match coming up. "We are going to demolish Slytherin's team," he said with his mouth full of eggs and a bit of syrup on the corner of his mouth.

"Well, of course we are. Our team is bloody fantastic."

"Hell yes!" he exclaimed. Oh, Captain James. "Hmm…I wonder if Lily's going to watch the match. I wonder if she flies well. I wonder if–"

While James ranted on and on about the love of his life, I grabbed my glass of chocolate milk. Just as I was about to take a sip, I stopped and glanced down at the liquid. Glaring at it, I thought back to the other night in the Room of Requirement with Ian. That damn potion. What kind of memory potion doesn't work? Lily was right. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. Luckily for me, I was almost used to disappointment. Though I was angry and upset, I decided not to linger on the fact that the potion didn't work and to just move on. There must be another way. I knew there had to be another way to bring Alec back. Memories and all. Well, maybe not the whole spirit aspect of him, but–

"Jenyyyse," James sang, as he waved his hand in front of my face. "You there?"

I shook my head, trying to focus on James. "Yeah, sorry. I just zoned out for a second there."

Looking at me curiously, he said, "Right. Anyway, as I was saying, Ian's been a really big help with the team, don't you think? I do. Oh, how are those checkups you've been doing with him going, by the way? Are they as insufferable as tutoring him?"

Avoiding bitter thoughts, I laughed, remembering the time I witnessed their tutoring session on Valentine's Day. Poor James. "Well," I started, getting back to James's question, "they're alright. I mean, there's no way of getting away from his insufferable personality, is there?"

Chuckling, James agreed, "You're right," as he took a bite of his bacon.

Unbeknownst to James, the question I had asked held a lot more meaning than the obvious.

~*~

_Patronuses are used as protectors, most commonly against Dementors (terrifying, soulless creatures who suck the souls out of humans, feeding off of humans' good feelings) and Lethifolds (black living shrouds that attack and smother sleeping humans, leaving no trace at all). A Patronus takes the form of an animal that reflects the personality or feelings–_

Groaning, I slammed the book in front of me closed and shoved it away from me with frustration. The library was almost empty except for me and a couple of other students. For some reason I couldn't focus at all. I was studying for N.E.W.T.s and finishing up some homework due in the near future – a.k.a. later today – during the lunch period, since I had already had brunch with James. My brain didn't seem to want to absorb anything I read. I had read those sentences three times already, and still I had no idea what I was reading.

Sighing and deciding to be a grown up, I pulled the book back to me and opened it to the page I was on. With my fingers on my temples, I started to read again.

_A Patronus takes the form of an animal that reflects the personality or feelings of the witch or wizard casting the charm. A Patronus can be conjured when the witch or wizard concentrates on a powerfully happy memory–_

Does _everything_ have to be about memories lately? Giving up once again, I plopped my head down into the pages of the offending book.

"Have you discovered a new art of book telepathy? Because, if you have, I would definitely like to learn it if it gets me out of studying so much for the N.E.W.T.s."

Not bothering to lift my head quite yet, I muttered, "Hey, Trav," into the book.

He sounded kind of nervous when he let out a laugh, which caused me to lift my head to look at him.

"Are you alright, Travis? What are you doing in here? Don't places with too many books make you overwhelmed?" I remember the first time I brought him into the library with me. He started breathing really fast and said that his stomach was hurting, then ran out. I assumed he ran straight to a bathroom. I heard that the urge to empty their bowels comes over some people when they get overwhelmed in a place filled with books.

"Yeah, they do overwhelm me, but I'm fine right now," he answered, still sounding a little uncomfortable. "I just wanted to make sure that, uh, our…plans…for Saturday are still on…. They are, right?"

"Saturday? What's Saturday? The Quidditch match is on Saturday."

"Oh, you didn't see the bulletin in the common room? They moved the match to Sunday."

"What? Since when do Quidditch matches happen on _Sundays_? Why'd they do that?" I questioned in outrage and confusion, which earned me a reprimanding glare from Madam Finn.

Leaning on the table I was sitting at, Travis explained, "Oh, apparently there's a really big one-day sale at Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop and at Honeydukes, so Dumbledore is giving us permission to go on a Hogsmeade trip on Saturday. Weird, huh?"

"Yeah, that is weird. So, the Quidditch match is definitely on Sunday?"

Travis nodded.

"Does James know about this?" I wondered aloud, worrying about how our captain would react to this change of plans.

Travis's face turned annoyed. "I wouldn't know."

"Oh, right, sorry," I apologized. After seven years, I still wasn't used to filtering my thoughts when I was around the Marauders or Travis.

"It's alright, Jenyse. So, about Saturday…"

Wondering why he was being so vague, I pushed, "…Yeah?"

Looking a little hurt, he asked, "Don't you remember when we were taking a walk outside the other day? And I asked–"

Finally realizing what he was on about, I let out a long, "Ohh," and said, "Right! The next Hogsmeade trip! Well, that worked out well, huh? Of course our plans are still on! I wouldn't dream of spending the day without you, Travis!"

Travis finally relaxed a bit after hearing that and a smile grew across his face. "Alright! Great! Well, I'll be going now. Did you want to go to lunch with me? I haven't eaten yet."

"Oh, I ate brunch with James during our break second period. I still have a bunch of work to do. I'll see you later. Bye, Trav!" I waved goodbye and returned to the book before me.

_Patronuses–_

Ugh. Here we go again.

~*~

"Mr. Decker, kindly stop producing snow above Ms. Baccari's and your heads with your wand, and pay attention."

"Sorry, Professor McGonagall," said Travis sheepishly from behind me, just above all of the snickers heard from the class.

While McGonagall continued her lecture on the uses of Transfiguration in our daily lives, I brushed off the snow on top of my head and turned and leaned back slightly in my seat. "What's with the winter wonderland?" I whispered to Travis.

"Oh, nothing. Sorry about that. I was just zoning off."

"Gotcha. I've been doing the same since term began."

Travis, who I assumed was leaning his chin on his arms in front of him to hear me better, chuckled quietly. "So, I was, um, thinking that on Saturday…er, tomorrow…that, uh…"

"Ms. Baccari, please do not lean on the back legs of your chair. I'm sure that what Mr. Decker has to say is much more important than the material that will surely be on your N.E.W.T.s, but I ask you to just once listen to what I am saying."

The snickering returned, but even louder than before. Before the snickers ended, glancing around the classroom, I caught the winking eye of Ian and looked away quickly, feeling heat in my cheeks that I personally called frustration. Putting my elbow on my desk, I felt something crunch underneath it. I looked down and found a crumpled up piece of parchment. Confused, I leaned back in my chair and opened it up. It read:

_Ready for tonight, Nurse Baccari?_

Feeling my cheeks redden even more with "frustration," I crumpled the note back up. Apparently I hadn't done so quickly enough. When I looked back up to make sure nobody had noticed my actions, I caught Sirius's scrutinizing stare from beside me.

"What?" I whispered sharply at him.

He ignored me and returned to watching his professed love turning into her cat Animagus form before turning to the assignment I had evidently missed.

~*~

Waking up at 11:30 to go to Hogsmeade with Travis was a much better alternative than waking up at 8:00 to warm up for a Quidditch match against Slytherin, in my opinion. After stretching out my limbs and letting out a morning yawn, I rolled out of bed. Sitting on the side of it for a bit, adjusting to the movement slowly so that I wouldn't get that strange blacking-out feeling from going from lying down to standing up so quickly, I looked over to Lily's bed. She was still zonked out with her arm falling over the side of her bed.

On the way to my dresser, I said, "Mornin', Lily," and got a grunt in return. I picked out my clothes for the day and took a quick shower which helped stimulate the waking process. Making sure I had the ring Travis gave me for Christmas on, I headed down the stairs and into the common room where he was waiting for me, warmly dressed and wearing a drawstring bag on his back.

"Hey, Travis!"

"Jenyse!" he greeted when he saw me. Looking me up and down, making me feel a little awkward, he said nervously, "You look really nice today, Jenyse." His hand moved to rub the back of his neck.

"Uhh, thanks." ...Awkward... "You cleaned up nice, too." Time to change the subject. "So, are we going down to breakfast?" I asked him.

"Breakfast? Jenyse, it's twelve o'clock."

"Yeah, and?" I wanted to say. I mean, come on; I just woke up! Isn't breakfast based on what part of the day you yourself are on? Not certain times of the day? But deciding to try to be nice and not cranky today, I answered, "Oh, right. Well, let's go on down to Hogsmeade, shall we?" I took his arm and dragged him through the portrait hole. "So, what do you have planned for us today?" I asked once we were on the other side.

"You're gonna hate me for this," – not a good start – "but each one is a surprise," – and not a very good end.

"Aww, come on!" I whined.

Chuckling at my childishness, he said, "Sorry, Jenyse. But, I think you're gonna like the first part of the da– uh, day." He shot me a nervous smile.

Glaring, and trying to get _some_ dignity, I asked, "What's in the bag?"

Shaking his head, still smiling, he said, "Wait and see."

After a dramatic, defeated sigh from me, we kept on our way, with me underneath his right arm. When we walked out into the freezing cold, I started, "So, these surprises of yours. Can they involve foot massages? Because you have magic fingers and I even shaved my legs."

"Really? I'm touched!"

"Yeah, you should be. I cut myself twice."

Travis laughed, shaking his head. "Ever heard of magic?"

My eyebrows shot up as I turned to look at him incredulously. "Ever heard of screw-ups? I am _not_ risking ending up with legs as hairy as yours for the rest of my life, thank you very much."

He pretended to glare at my big cheesy innocent grin, but ended up laughing. "Don't worry, Jenyse. I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy today," he said, giving me a squeeze into his side.

"It better kick arse, or I am not wasting another Hogsmeade trip on you, Trav," I joked. When I didn't get a response, I craned my neck up to look at him. It looked as though all the color was drained from his face. "Lighten up, Travis! Merlin, it's like you've seen a bloody Dementor."

He gulped. "No, I just seem to have left my spleen back at the castle."

"That's fine," I assured him. "I like my guys spleenless. It makes everything so much easier." I finished with a wicked grin and an exaggerated eyebrow wiggle.

Peering at me, he asked, "Are you trying to kill me?"

"Damn, you figured me out."

The rest of the walk down to the village entailed the same kind of conversation: light and teasing. At every building we passed, I'd slow down, just in case Travis would suddenly turn us into it. We kept going down High Street until Travis led us into another street to our right that I'd never been down.

"Trav, are you sure you know where we're going? I trust you and all, but…your mother has said that you aren't very good with directions. Remember that time we went for a drive in your town? We were lost for a half an hour."

"Shush, Jenyse. I know where I'm going," he said. He probably only said that he knew just so I could shut up. "See? Told you. Here it is!" Travis took my shoulders and turned me sharply to my right.

I looked at the shop in front of me then looked at the sign above its door. It was a coffee shop. Ahh! Coffee! I'd never even heard of the shop before! "How'd you find this place?" I asked Travis in amazement as he guided me through the door.

Travis shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant, but seeming relieved and pleased by my reaction to his first surprise of the day. "I just heard about it through my friends."

My amazement was extended when I stepped into the building. Three walls were a warm tan, the same color as coffee with a little bit of cream. The last wall was a collage of coffee shops, mugs full of coffee, city signs, and more. The tables that were spread out with just the right amount of space in between them were a nice dark wood. The chairs, which were placed two to four to a table, were the same dark wood as the tables. It was the nicest, cutest, warmest, and coziest coffee shop I'd ever been to.

Travis had to give me another little push to make me move all the way into the building. Obviously speaking with a big smile, he said, "So…you like?"

I turned and faced him, ignoring his dumb question. "Friends?" I teased, replying to what he had said previously. "And who's accredited to you having friends, again?"

He just rolled his eyes and led me to one of the tables against the collaged wall. "Sit and behave," he ordered while, in a gentlemanly act, he pulled out a chair for me.

I sat down and took my coat off, looking around again.

Travis took off his own coat and bag and put them on the back of his chair across from me, but didn't sit. "I'll be right back," he told me and then walked over to the counter to order, I supposed.

I tried not to worry about Travis ordering my coffee _for_ me. It was a new place and I wanted to know my selections. I loved my coffee way too much to trust anyone else to order it for me. Then again, I'd feel bad if I in any way ruined any part of this day Travis put together. So, to distract myself, I leaned back and focused on inhaling the strong and mouth-watering scent of coffee wafting through the room and took in the setting again. A few tables away, a wizard sat reading the Daily Prophet and sipping his shot of espresso. At another table was a woman with a baby on her lap, pouring some sugar into her mug. There was soft calm and jazzy music playing adding to the ambience.

Travis finally came back, taking his seat in front of me with a smile.

"So what'd you order?" I asked impatiently.

"You'll see," was the only answer I got back.

After a few minutes of chatting about nothing in particular, the worker whom Travis was talking to at the counter earlier came over with a tray carrying several small mugs. He set the tray on our table and said, "And here's our sample tray. Each mug has the coffee's name on it. Here's the cream, here's the sugar, and here are the comment cards. If you have any questions or need anything else, just let me know. Enjoy!"

Completely in awe, I stared open-mouthed at the tray and then up at Travis. I'd never done a coffee tasting. I'd always wanted to, but I had never found a new coffee place to do it in. "You're kidding me."

Travis laughed slowly. "I kid you not, Jenyse. Why? Is this not satisfactory enough?"

"Oh, not at all. This is just one of the top 32 things I've wanted to do in my entire life!" I exclaimed as I reached over and grabbed the closest cup to me. While Travis had a relieved laugh, I moved the cup in circles, making the liquid within it swirl, and inhaled the scents radiating out of it before I took a sip. I swallowed the warm liquid and let the taste linger in my mouth. "Mmm." My eyes closed involuntarily as the coffee did its magic on me. I finally opened my eyes and saw Travis watching me with an amused smile on his face. "What?"

He shook his head, still smiling. "So," he started, reaching for a mug himself, "what are numbers one through 31?" He sniffed the contents of his mug before putting it down and grabbing the cream and sugar.

"Those are secret. Hey, hey, hey! What do you think you're doing?" I demanded, incredulous at the sight before me.

Shocked, he froze and glanced up at me. "Umm, putting cream and sugar in the coffee…?"

"Yeah, I know! But, _why_? _How_?"

"Uhh, by taking the spoon, like this," he took the spoon and scooped some sugar, "and putting it into the cof– Jenyse!" he exclaimed as I reached over and grabbed both of his hands and pulled them far apart from each other. This resulted in the coffee splashing over the brim of its mug and the sugar getting all over the table. "What was that for?"

"This is a _coffee tasting_. You're not supposed to tamper with the actual taste of the coffee. That defeats the purpose!"

Travis looked at me like I was insane, but complied. "Alright, alright." He hesitantly took a sip. Immediately after, his face scrunched up. "Ugh."

I rolled my eyes, laughing. "Weak, Trav."

"Crazy woman. How do you drink this stuff black?" He continued making disgusted faces as he pushed the mug towards me.

"You're the crazy one. Why would you do anything to a taste so good?" I did my tasting routine with the coffee he handed over to me. "Aw, come on, Travis. This one isn't even that bad. Actually, it's kinda…perfect." I took another sip, groaning in pleasure into the mug. It was only the second one I'd tried and already I thought that I had found a favorite. My eyes, which had drifted to a close, opened quickly when I heard a clang.

Travis had dropped the bowl of sugar, the contents of which got everywhere, including onto my lap. Flustered, he snatched several napkins saying, "I am _so_ sorry. I didn't mean to–! I just–! Here, let me get that." He got up, crossed over to me, and began to awkwardly brush off the sugar from my lap.

All I could do about the situation was laugh. My hands flew to cover my mouth after the first boom of laughter came out of me, causing everyone to look over and stare.

Travis seemed embarrassed beyond belief as he kept attempting to rid my lap of sugar. After hearing my laughter, he calmed down a bit and started chuckling sheepishly as well.

"It's alright, Travis. I think I can manage. Thanks," I managed to say once I had calmed down.

"Are you sure? Alright. Sorry." He got back into his seat and proceeded to clean the table. In the process, he knocked over an empty mug, which would have fallen to the floor if my reflexes hadn't kicked in, allowing me to catch it just in time.

"You're just a mess today, Trav," I told him, laughing again.

"Heh. Yeah, I know. Can't imagine why…" he replied, humiliated.

I smiled, helping him clean the rest of the table. The rest of our time in the coffee shop went – thankfully – without any more accidents, but with a lot more laughing. For our late lunch, we had sandwiches after getting through our samples. By the time we left, I was in an incredibly good mood. In my mind, I had a feeling that Travis was making me laugh on purpose, just to cheer me up, since I'd been in such a weird mood lately. To thank him and show that I really appreciated his efforts without really saying it out loud, I pulled him in for a big hug.

Travis returned it after a moment of surprise. He chuckled, saying, "Jenyse, I think you're hugging the wrong thing. The coffee's back inside."

I pulled back. "Nope. I'm pretty sure I hugged just the right thing." I grinned up at him. "Now, what's next on the list?" I asked, putting his arm around my shoulders and letting him lead us the right way.

"Now," he said, a little more confident than he was earlier and pulling me closer into his side, "we go to Zonko's. They're having a presentation of a new product. I was thinking you might like to check it out." The way he said it left the option of going or not open for me to decide.

"Well, then, let's go! The presentations at Zonko's are always a blast. Literally."

"They do have pretty impressive fireworks, but I don't think they're as hot as me," he replied, making a muscle with the arm that was around my neck.

I snorted at his antics. "Yes, Travis. You are _unbearably_ attractive." I peered up at him to see him grinning like a fool.

Zonko's was packed with what seemed to be all Hogwarts students. I took a look around and caught the eyes of James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. Vaguely surprised that Ian wasn't with them, I grinned and waved, receiving waves back from them and a light push towards a display from Travis. Ugh. Boys.

According to the boy with the plan and all the signs surrounding me, the presentation wouldn't start for another ten minutes, so we took the time to look around the shop. We enjoyed ourselves, testing out almost all of the products. I got Travis good with a Fanged Frisbee, which cut through part of the sleeve of his coat before it flew into a shelf. He looked as though he was about to piss himself. Needless to say, the laughs continued.

We got back to the front of the store, just in time for the presentation. A tall man with a tall purple top hat stood in the center of everybody on a box so that everyone could see him.

"'Ello, everybody! As you know – if you don't, get out of here right now – I am Mr. Zonko! Welcome to my shop! We just got in a few new products today and you know what that means. That's right! We're going to test them out on you! But first, it is a part of my job to tell you that all of the products here are all meant for _harmless_ fun. Except those Fanged Frisbees, apparently. My condolences, sir!" he joked, nodding at Travis, who shot me a glare. "Now, shall we begin?"

Cheers broke out from the audience. I looked over at James and Sirius and chuckled at their boyish grins.

Zonko began rummaging through a box on the table in front of him. "Oh, yes. I almost forgot. Before we get to the joke products, I'd like to announce that we have our own brand of tea that we created ourselves. Here you go, boy," he said, giving a Travis a teacup. "I owe you for your damaged sleeve. Taste this and tell me what you think of our new tea."

Travis shot me a worried look, to which I replied with a nod that said, "Go on." Warily, he took the drink from Zonko. He put the cup up to his lips and took a sip. Not a split second later, the teacup was unrelentingly biting Travis's nose.

The crowd erupted in laughter as Travis panicked, trying to tug it off. Knowing that a Zonko's product wouldn't seriously harm anyone, I joined in the laughter. In the corner of my mind, I had a feeling James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were getting a kick out of this.

Laughing as well, Zonko took the teacup back, revealing an unharmed nose on poor – but lucky – Travis's face. "Sorry, m'boy. Couldn't resist!" he apologized before turning back to the whole crowd, raising the teacup in the air so that everyone could get a glimpse of it. "The Nose-Biting Teacup, everybody!"

Applause and more cheers followed.

"This teacup bites the drinker's nose until _only_ the person who gave the cup to the drinker pulls it off!" Zonko came back to Travis, who was rubbing his nose, said, "Don't worry, lad! It leaves no marks!" and handed him a box that held a new Nose-Biting Teacup. "For your cooperation, here is your very own Nose-Biting Teacup, on me! Enjoy! Now, for our next product…"

Unfortunately, the rest of the presentation didn't entail any more attacks on Travis, but it was very enjoyable, nonetheless. Walking out of Zonko's, with his prize in his mysterious bag, Travis was still subconsciously rubbing his nose. "Are you _sure_ there aren't any marks?" he asked for the zillionth time.

I sighed, on the verge of laughing from thinking back to how he panicked with the cup on his nose. "_Yes_, Trav. There are no marks whatsoever," I assured him, but he still looked troubled. I rolled my eyes, kissed the pads of two of my fingers and tapped his nose with them. "There. Better?"

For a moment, Travis's eyes bulged as he stared down at me. "Uh…yeah. I mean, uh," a small smirk grew on his face, "nope. Not yet. It still stings. I think I need another – _bigger_ – dose of your treatment, doctor."

I snigger-snorted unattractively and tapped his cheek lightly before walking on. "Nice try, you big baby. Come on; let's go to Honeydukes! Or does that go against the plan?" I asked, looking back over my shoulder.

With a weird look spread across his features, he got back into stride with me. "Nope. I wouldn't let us pass on a sale at Honeydukes."

"Good. I could die for some milk chocolate or a lollipop or something," I confessed. "Remus always steals all the chocolate I get."

"PMS much?" said Travis dryly.

I laughed, a little uneasily, watching my feet dig a little into the thin sheet of snow on the pathway. I really need to filter before I speak. "Heh. Yeah. Oh Merlin, look how packed it is in there," I said, quickly changing the subject. "You know, I _could_ get lost." Back to humor. Good, Jenyse, good.

Travis lightened up saying, "Then I suppose I'll just have to hold your hand." His hand found mine and, with a smile, I tightened my hold on his.

As we walked in and through the crowded Honeydukes, I realized that I really liked the way Travis was acting today. He was being really fun, humorous, and pleasant. It was great to experience Travis like this. I suddenly felt my stomach drop from the guilt I felt for blowing him off so many times for the Marauders or anyone – or -thing – else. Sometimes I wished that all of them could just get along fine. But, then again, I wouldn't get too many uninterrupted days like these with him. Yup. _Pretty_ selfish. Oh, well. It wasn't my fault that things were they way they were.

Everyone in the cramped building kept bumping into one another, trying to fight their way to the counter, Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans, and Sugar Quills. It was a madhouse in there. As he promised, Travis didn't let go of my hand, leading and dragging me through the little spaces in between people to get to the displays of candy.

It was probably over an hour by the time we finally chose all of our purchases, got to the counter, paid, and got out, into the refreshing cold air. I had been sweating an incredible amount in Honeydukes, due to all of the body heat and cramped space, and the cold felt remarkably good.

"Thanks so much for paying, Trav. You really didn't have to. Are you _sure_ you don't want me to pay you back?" I asked earnestly. I hated when people – who weren't my direct family – paid for me. When Travis told me that he would pay for anything I picked out in Honeydukes, I made sure to limit my choices. Apparently, I was being obvious about it, because he caught me and made sure I got _every little thing_ I merely laid eyes on.

"_Yes_, Jenyse. I am _positive_. I told you I would pay for whatever you wanted and I did. Now, shush, or you won't be allowed to eat that big lollipop that I bought you, which," he added, "– by the way – would be a real shame. For you _and_ me."

Confused, I asked, "You? Why you?"

"Huh? Oh, well, you know…" he seemed to search for words before he finally sputtered out, "because…I…I paid for it and all. So, if you didn't lick – err – _eat_ it, then it would be a waste, right? And that would surely be a shame for me, right? Make sense? Yeah, so, aren't you hungry? I'm starving. Let's go eat."

I managed to have the decency to keep in my laughter. What got him so flustered? What a weirdo. "Um, sure! Where are we eating?" I looked around, trying to think of the possible places we could go for dinner. There were the Three Broomsticks…the Hog's Head…I wasn't sure if Madam Puddifoot's served dinner or not…. Huh. That's weird. There really weren't many places in Hogsmeade that served dinner. There were a couple of other restaurants, but none of them were all that satisfying.

"Just follow me," Travis told me. He led me up High Street, past all of the possible buildings we could eat in and to the bottom of the small hill that the Shrieking Shack – the secret of which I was in on – sat upon. Saying a spell I didn't recognize, Travis cleared the ground of snow, revealing the cold, dead grass that was previously hidden by the white blanket. Finally revealing what was in his bag that he had been keeping secret all day, he took out a blanket, and laid it down.

Amazed, I followed his lead and sat down, facing – what I gathered from looking at the almost-setting sun was – the west.

Surprising me further, Travis pulled out containers and put them in front of us.

My eyebrows flew up at all of Travis's preparations. "What is this?"

Handing me a fork, he said simply, "Dinner."

"…You _cooked_?"

Looking up at me bashfully, he admitted, "Well, no. I admit that I bribed the house-elves to make and pack me some food, but it's the thought that counts, right?" His own eyebrows were raised, waiting for my affirmation.

Smiling, I shook my head in disbelief and embraced him tightly. It was probably the most adorable thing anybody had ever done for me. "You're awesome, Travis. Just, one thing," I noted as I pulled back. I stopped his worried look, saying, "Were you planning on casting a heating spell, or are we supposed to freeze to death as we eat?"

Relief washed over his face before he cast the forgotten spell on the blanket below us. The moment the words came out of his mouth, the luxury of heat radiated from below us. "Sorry 'bout that."

"Mmm, no biggie. It feels really good. I can't believe you did all this, Trav."

He shrugged, picking up a container of food and handing it to me. "It's nothing, really. I just thought it'd be nice to eat in a place that's not packed with a bunch of Hogwarts students." The container out of which he started eating had roast beef – which I knew was his favorite – in it.

I opened my own container eagerly to find roast chicken on top of mashed potatoes and gravy. Ahh, Travis, my man. Along with coffee, anything that involved potatoes was my weakness. "Travis Decker. What would I do without you?" I asked, diving into the delicious food.

The other dishes that Travis brought out included steak and kidney pie, pasta, and a bunch of different deserts, along with a thermos of pumpkin juice. Between the two of us, we managed to finish every scrap of food in front of us. I thought that my stomach was going to burst, I was so full.

I leaned back onto my palms, allowing myself to digest, as we watched the sun start to set. Though the magically heated blanket was below us, it didn't stop me from shivering when a cold gust of wind hit me.

Seeing me react to the cold, Travis put his arm around my shoulders.

Smirking, I jokingly warned him with a mock-serious tone, "Travis Decker, if that arm goes any lower, I will _deck_ you." I felt him tense up around me, making me chuckle. Giving up all pretenses, I scooted closer into his side, resting my head on his shoulder. I felt him let out a sigh of relief. Poor guy, having to suffer through my sarcasm and taunts and lame fake threats. Mmm. Travis was really warm. Gradually, I got warmer and warmer from his body heat. Frankly, I didn't think it was very fair that boys seemed to have more body heat than girls. I voiced my opinion to Travis.

"Well, Jenyse, I'm pretty sure it has to do with a man's ability to provide," he replied, absentmindedly playing with one of my curls with the hand by my shoulder.

"Well, that's stupid," I stated bluntly.

He chuckled, which, in turn, shook me a little, as well. "Mmm. No one would expect you to stick to stereotypes."

"Damn straight!" I agreed, making Travis laugh again.

Mostly in silence, but occasionally reminiscing about our different memories and talking about random, unimportant things, we sat comfortably, my head on his shoulder and his head on mine, watching the sunset, through the space in between the Shrieking Shack hill and the backend of the town. By the time the sun was out of view and the only evidence that it was still there, hiding, was the small strip of purple right above the skyline, Travis's body heat and the blanket weren't keeping me very warm any longer.

"You suck as a heating source, Trav," I accused, at the same time, insulting his manliness. I bumped my shoulder lightly into him. "You know what, Trav-Trav the Asexual Lad?" I craned my neck to look up at him. "Apparently, heat is conducive to sexual vibes. You need to go out with more girls." Even though my comment was teasing, I really did wish he would find some girls to date. He couldn't be an asexual lad for forever.

I saw a little bit of hurt on his features, which was what I assumed to be from me jabbing at his lack of lady friends, before he recovered. "But I'm already out with the prettiest one in school," he retorted.

Ahh, flattery. Smart kid. I smiled in response, almost blushing from the compliment. "But, seriously, I'm still freezing my arse off."

Travis's look turned a little mischievous when he let his arm fall from around my shoulders, making me even colder. "Freezing, are you, Jenyse? Hmm…I wonder if this would help."

Turning, I asked, "If what would help?" but was cut off midway by snow being thrown in my face.

In disbelief, I glared at the culprit. "Oh, now you've done it."

After getting even colder from playing in the snow for a while, we went to the Three Broomsticks to get warm with some Butterbeer. There, the Marauders tried to steal me away, but, informing them I was already spoken for and prying them off – literally, in Sirius's case –, I followed Travis to try to find a free table in the pub. We weren't successful, so, without the promisingly delicious Butterbeer – except for the quick sip I stole from James –, we left the full building. As we left, the other boys made obnoxious kissy noises, to which I replied by maturely sticking out my tongue at them, over my shoulder.

"They're so immature," I said of the Marauders as Travis and I walked to the only other option we had left – the dreaded Madam Puddifoot's. "People of the opposite sex can be friends. Hypocrites are what they are."

With a weird look on his face, which I was positive was because of their interruption of our day together, Travis said, "Yeah, you're right. But, you know, sometimes friendships can turn into…more…right?"

Remembering James and Sirius's secret, romantic relationship, I supposed I agreed with what Travis was saying. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

When we got to Puddifoot's, we quickly found a small table in the very back of the tea shop. Trying to keep my eyes away from the disgustingly lovey-dovey couples, I followed Travis to the table. I ordered coffee, while he ordered tea, along with a couple of small pastries, just to see how bad they probably were. We were right. Disgusting.

As we sat there, the only pair not sucking each other's faces off, I noticed Travis constantly eyeing my hand, while we made fun of the couples in the room. When I excused myself to the bathroom, I checked if I had anything on my hand, and found nothing. Weird. Nevertheless, I made sure to wash my hands thoroughly, singing, _"Happy Birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, happy birthday. Happy birthday to you."_

I got back to our table to find Travis with a nervous look upon his face. "Hey, you alright? Are you feeling as nauseous as I am from this place?" I joked.

He shrugged, saying, "It's not too bad."

I cocked a brow at him. Deciding that his brain was getting fried from being in this atmosphere for so long, I offered, "Hey, you wanna throw these disgusting pastries at those disgusting couples and get outta here?"

Laughing at my master plan, he agreed, taking the lead and throwing pieces of the orange scone on the plate between us at the couple diagonally behind me, receiving two defiant, "Hey!"s. Cracking up, we continued our torture until Madam Puddifoot herself started shrieking at us. I grabbed Travis's hand and ran us out of there, as Madam Puddifoot cursed us out with expletives. Classy.

Not knowing what to do next, we tried the Three Broomsticks again and were more successful in finding a table this time. After having more laughs in there, we made our way back to the castle. Neither of us was ready to call it a day yet, so we went up to our favorite spot on the roof of the Astronomy Tower.

"What time is it?" I asked sleepily after hours up there, cracking jokes and talking about our day. I leaned my head against his shoulder, like I had done while we watched the sunset.

Looking at his watch, Travis replied, "11:53."

I felt him sigh into my hair. I understood; I didn't want today to end either. It was such a fun and careless day, which I hadn't had in forever. I didn't have to worry about spirit boys, patients, my duties to my dad, or Remus stealing my chocolate. It was very relaxing and enjoyable, especially since I spent it with one of my best friends.

"We better go. You've got a Quidditch match tomorrow," he reminded me.

"Oh, bloody hell. I forgot. Alright, let's go."

Travis was very quiet on the way back to the common room. We got back safely and without getting caught. We stopped at the bottom of the separate staircases, facing one another.

"Thanks so much for today, Trav. It was great. We really need to do this more often," I told him from where I leaned sideways against the wall between the two staircases. "You really helped me get my mind off of a bunch of things, and I really needed that. Thanks." I smiled sincerely at him before pulling him into a hug.

"No problem, Jenyse. Anytime," he promised quietly, into my hair.

I pulled back, still smiling. My expression faltered when I saw his own expression.

He looked way too serious compared to normal. There was a slight crease in between his eyebrows and he wouldn't look me in the eye.

My fatigue was replaced with worry. "Trav, what's wrong?" I asked, putting my hand on his arm.

The crease between his eyebrows grew as he seemed to think of how to answer. Just when I thought he wouldn't answer, Travis started babbling, "What do you do when you want to do something really badly for as long as you can remember, but you have no idea how it will be taken or what it might mean?"

Not knowing what to think, and my exhaustion not helping by causing my eyelids droop a little lower, making them practically closed, I said, "Travis, are you telling me that you're secretly gay?"

Confused beyond all belief, I felt lips press against my own. I didn't know what to do, thanks to my brain going blank, so I just stood there, frozen, for a long moment. When the lips started moving against mine, I couldn't resist kissing back. I hadn't been kissed in a while. I missed this feeling. Alec hadn't been around much lately.

In the back of my mind, I thought I heard a door close, footsteps, and a voice. "About time you came home, young lady. Can't have the prettiest girl in school out at all hours. Had to run Quidditch tactics with the captain for tomorrow."

Alec. What was he doing in the Gryffindor common room? And when did he become a ventriloquist that could talk and kiss at the same time?

"Gryffindor tower isn't what I expected. Passwords are for little men. Try answering a question whenever you want to go to bed."

The kiss was getting deeper and deeper. I didn't realize how much I missed it. A hand rested on my cheek and on my hip. I reached out and grabbed for the shirt in front of me, bringing the body closer to me. I missed this. A lot.

"I saw you earlier in the Three Broomsticks. You looked pretty darn good, if I may say so myself."

The hand on my cheek moved to the back of my neck, pulling me in even closer. I responded by craning my neck up more to allow my partner better access to my eager lips.

"Now, as it is going to be my birthday in nearly…twenty seconds…where's my birthday kiss? OHH!"

The loud yell I heard snapped me out of my sleepy trance. My eyes snapped open and I moved backwards quickly. The sight that greeted me made me more puzzled than ever. Alec was on the second step of the boys' staircase and Travis was a mere six inches away from me. How could that make sense?

"Jenyse?" I heard come from a slightly giddy, yet slightly worried-looking Travis.

And that's when it hit me.

That guy right there on the steps with the hurt, surprised, and confused expression wasn't Alec. That was Ian Hayes. And I wasn't being kissed by and kissing back Alec or even Ian. That was Travis Decker.

Oh, Merlin.

Feeling like the world was crashing in on me and needing more than anything to get out of there, I turned around and ran up the girls' staircase without looking back, more afraid to have the truth thrown at me again, than to show the tears rushing down my pained face.

**A/N: AHHHH! i am SO SORRY, my dear readers! i'm horrible, i know. practically the whole chapter was Addison's idea, though, so don't kill me! kill her! =P PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me what you think/thought! i want to know both good and bad thoughts! help me improve! and as always, your favorite parts are my favorite to find out! THANKS again for coming back and reading! now, if you would be so kind as to write a quick – or very long (wink wink to those of you who usually do) – review, that would be lovely. See you in another 7 months!**

~ Danica

p.s. totally kidding.

p.p.s. i hope

p.p.p.s. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JENSEN!

p.p.p.p.s. i love you, Jensen.


	7. Trouble in paradise?

**(A/N from HPFF) A/N: AHHH! it's finally done! this monster of a chapter is FINALLY done! i am so so sorry that it took so long. i won't even list the excuses i could give. i'm tired of typing. 12,710 freaking words. i didn't think that was even possible. but now it is finished. thank goodness for that! i know that in my A/N of last chapter i promised that i wouldn't take 6 months again. i didn't break it! only 5 months this time!**

**thank you SO SO SO SO SO SO SO much to Addison aka Molly Raesly. she practically wrote a whole scene in this chapter because i was too flustered to do it (i'll let you know which scene in the last A/N as to not spoil it). she was a real trooper in keeping up with my insanity, even fooling me into super duper writing mode, with the help of the queue closing. i love her so much.**

**and thank YOU for coming back to read this next chapter of Jenyse Syl Baccari's life...**

Chapter 7: "Trouble in paradise?"

I stared at the morning beast in the mirror, taking in its every feature. Its dark brown hair was way messier and tousled than mine from the constant tossing and turning that occurred during the night. Its eyebrows were drawn together. Its tired green eyes were puffy with huge bags beneath them. Its nose had a pinker tinge than mine. Its lips…

Oh, Merlin.

All of yesterday's events – or what I could remember of them – flooded back to me. It wasn't really much. I remembered going to Hogsmeade and having a great time with Travis. I remembered practically falling asleep on top of the Astronomy Tower. I remembered Travis dragging me back to the common room. I remembered…

Oh, _Merlin_.

Common room? Travis? Lips?

I leaned in closer towards the mirror to inspect the inside and outside of my mouth. My lips were a little chapped. My tongue was a little dry. My teeth needed cleaning. It wasn't any different from any other morning. Mouths get dirty after a night's sleep. That was a known fact. So why did mine feel like it just ate its way through a dump?

Grabbing my toothbrush and squeezing some toothpaste onto it, I was greeted with more snapshots of last night.

Lips? Someone else's lips? Travis? Alec? Ian?

_OH, MERLIN_.

I stopped midway from putting down the toothpaste tube on the counter, to open it back up and squeeze even more of its contents onto my toothbrush. Shoving the cleaning utensil back into my mouth, I began to scrub like I'd never scrubbed before.

Last night. That couldn't have happened. I wasn't even completely sure of what exactly occurred. It was all quite fuzzy, thanks to the fact that I was barely conscious. All I remembered was feeling lips, pulling back, seeing Travis's face centimeters away from mine and Ian behind him, and running up to my dorm and into my bed, where it only took a minute or two to cry myself to sleep.

That couldn't be right. Why would Travis kiss me? Why would I kiss him back? Why would Ian be in Gryffindor Tower?

Biting down, I turned my toothbrush to such an angle so that it would reach my back teeth, and brushed, brushed, brushed.

No. What was I thinking? Ian couldn't get into the Gryffindor Tower. He was a Ravenclaw. And both Travis and I were dead tired. He probably tripped and landed on my face.

After spitting out, I proceeded to furiously scrub at my tongue.

Maybe Travis was just giving me a goodnight kiss on the cheek, but accidentally got really, really close to my lips. People do that all the time. It's just one of those awkward things in life.

I spat out again and moved onto brushing the back sides of my teeth.

And maybe I was so tired last night that I started hallucinating, thinking I was seeing Alec. I did miss him a lot. It was no secret that my mind was insane. It liked to trick me a lot. That's right. It was just a mind trick. Well, I forgive you, mind. No harm done.

Except maybe to my tongue and gums, which were even bleeding a little from the force at which I was going back and forward on them with my toothbrush.

Finally feeling as though my mouth was at least a little bit cleaner, I rinsed my mouth out with water, four or five times, before I undressed and stepped into the shower. I realized a little too late that showering was pointless, since I had a Quidditch Match in a couple of hours. I didn't mind the cleansing, though. My face and neck felt pretty dirty too.

Before heading down to breakfast, trying to expel all thoughts of yesterday, and particularly last night, I brushed my teeth and scrubbed my tongue once more. It sort of worked, since I avoided seeing Travis or Ian at all as I walked down the aisle next to the Gryffindor table. I spotted Sirius immediately and stared at the muffin he had in his hand, my whole walk towards him. Shaking off any remaining thoughts, I put a smile on and approached him. He was always good as a distraction.

"Hey! No! _Jenyse_!"

"Mmm…blueberry. My favorite," I said as I sank my teeth into the blueberry muffin I had just snatched from Sirius. I plopped down next to him, by the rest of our Quidditch team, and made a taunting face of delight, which was ruined by laughter when I saw his appalled expression.

"First off," Sirius started with irritation, "that was my muffin! Second, your favorite is _cinnamon crunch_, not blueberry. Third, blueberry is _my_ favorite. Fourth, you _know_ that I need to eat a blueberry muffin before every Quidditch match. And fifth? ..._That was my muffin_!"

Before I could respond, Adam, Sirius's fellow Beater, cut in to say, "Sirius, calm down. There's another one right here." He pulled a muffin out of the basket of muffins on the table and held it up to Sirius's face.

Without skipping a beat, Sirius greedily grabbed the spotted muffin from Adam. He was a centimeter away from biting into it when he froze. The rest of the team and I watched in confusion and awe as Sirius sniffed the muffin like the dog he sometimes was.

"Liar! This isn't blueberry. This is definitely boysenberry," he groaned disgustedly. "You and I?" Sirius motioned between Adam and himself. "We're done." He emphasized his point by throwing the offending muffin straight at Adam's face. Unfortunately, we were all deprived of the extra amusement by James's quick Chaser reflexes, which were heightened by his anticipation of the coming match.

I laughed loudly while Adam rolled his eyes and went back to his own food. "Sucks, love," I said, mockingly pitying, as I took another bite of my blueberry muffin.

Sirius grabbed all of the baskets of muffins that he could reach and searched through them all. When his search failed, he turned back to me. "_Please_, Sylly. Just one bite. Do you _want_ to lose today? Come on. I love you, you know that? I love you so much. And I will be your slave for the rest of my life," he bribed. "I will do anything for you. Even if it means killing Remus so that he'll stop stealing your chocolate."

"Hey!"

I laughed at Remus, who was sitting kind of on the outskirts of the team with Peter, then turned my focus back onto the desperate boy in front of me. I raised a brow in contemplation. "And you'll come to my house for Easter break and cuddle with me every night, despite the chance Jarron comes in and finds us?"

Sirius visibly gulped, and I smirked at the sight of it. Using Jarron as a threat was my favorite. Just seeing the transition to dread on his face was enough to make me give in and give him the rest of the muffin.

The members of the team who didn't know my brother and the intensity of his protectiveness over me appeared confused by my condition, yet amused by Sirius's torn expression.

"Fine!" Sirius finally exclaimed. "Just give me the damn muffin!"

James, Remus, and Peter gave looks of pity to their beloved friend, knowing that he had just made a deal with a demon. They knew that an angry Jarron was the equivalent of a hellhound.

"Yes!" Someone to cuddle with all week! Not to mention the _best_ cuddler of all time! "This is going to be the best break ever!" I declared, throwing my arms around him, the muffin moving along with my hand to his back. "Don't you worry. I'll protect you from Jarron. He's got nothin' on me." I pulled back briefly to smile toothily at him and then held him close once more.

Just as I was about to finally release Sirius, I caught the eye of Travis sitting alone at the end of the Gryffindor table. The look he was giving me was strange. It was a mix of delight from – unfortunately – catching my attention, jealousy and disgust from my position with Sirius, confusion – probably from last night's events –, and eagerness for our next conversation – which I didn't need a wacked up crystal ball to predict would be excruciatingly awkward. His expression confirmed my most dreaded thoughts.

Alright, so maybe Travis did kiss me. That didn't mean it actually meant something. He must have been really tired. I sure was. Don't get me wrong. I loved Travis. But that didn't mean I wanted his tongue down my throat. I suddenly felt the pressing urge to brush my teeth again.

But if the…kiss…really did happen, then Ian must've really been in Gryffindor Tower. Realizing that I had had – ACCIDENTAL – tonsil Beaters' practice with Travis was bad enough. Of course Ian Hayes had to have witnessed it. What could be more devastating than the amnesiac, corporeal form of the guy that I loved catching me – ACCIDENTALLY – snog a guy that I had described to him as practically my brother?

Why did he have to kiss me? Everything would have been normal and I would be focusing on Quidditch, rather than my incest-ful one-sided lack-of-love life. Not that Travis actually loved me. We were tired. It was a mistake. Yes. A mistake.

I averted my glance quickly after assessing Travis's expression and his excited wave, and let go of Sirius.

"Jenyse?"

"Um, yeah?"

"The muffin?"

"Oh, right."

The muffin was caught by his mouth, rather than his phalanges.

I didn't laugh along with my teammates. I needed to focus on Quidditch. Quidditch, Quidditch, Quidditch. Come on, Nees. Focus. We needed this win if we wanted to win the Quidditch Cup, in the end.

"Jenyse? Do you have to go to the bathroom?"

I glanced up at Sirius.

"You look constipated."

I narrowed my eyes at him and resumed my chant of "Quidditch, Quidditch, Quidditch," trying to focus, focus, focus on the coming match.

This proved to be impossible when my fellow Chaser Colleen asked, "Hey, Jenyse, why is Travis Decker staring at you like that?" Ever the observant one, dearest Colleen.

All at once, our whole section of the table, except me, turned to see Travis who I assumed either took the chance to glower at the Marauders or look away bashfully.

"Freak," Sirius said.

I didn't bother defending Travis. It was no use against the Marauders, and I didn't want thoughts – even if they were the vaguest of vague – of last night reentering my brain. Now was not the time to ponder over Travis and last night's events.

The group quickly fell into conversation about either how much they hated Travis – Sirius, Remus, and Peter – or how rude Sirius was for insulting my friend right in front of me – the rest of the team. James didn't join any conversations, other than forcing those of us who got pre-Quidditch jitters to eat their food.

Right. Quidditch, Quidditch, Quidditch.

"Alright, alright," said James, indirectly saving me, while trying to get the team's attention, "let's all focus on the match that starts in _thirty minutes_. Meaning you guys need to either scarf down the rest of your food or take it out to the locker room. Let's go. Chop, chop. Pip, pip." He clapped his hands impatiently to hurry us up.

Remus and Peter wished us good luck while stayed behind. As we all grunted and stood up from the Gryffindor table all laden with food that we weren't permitted to eat – well, that we weren't given the _choice_ to eat –, the rest of the Gryffindors applauded us.

Walking between our table and the Ravenclaw table, I tried not to look in Travis's direction and, though I tried to fight it, I searched the Ravenclaw table for a certain Ian Hayes instead. I was highly relieved when I didn't see him. I let out a mysterious breath of air. I supposed our sixth-year Seeker Benjy heard, because he reached around me and gave me a comforting squeeze. If only what I was really worried about was our Quidditch match against Slytherin.

The seven of us walked out of the Great Hall, through the Entrance Hall, and out into the sunny grounds. The sunlight made the thin sheet of snow across the grounds shine. We followed the shoveled path down to the Quidditch Pitch, sharing light conversation, in attempt to put off the unwanted pre-Quidditch nerves and focus.

The chatting died down gradually, the closer we got to the locker room. James held the door open for all of us, giving us each high-fives as we passed through. I headed to the other side – the "girls'" side – of the line of lockers, along with Colleen, to change.

Opening my locker seemed to finally allow me to focus on the task at hand: Quidditch. I reached in and grabbed my uniform and pads, as Colleen started speaking to me.

"D'you think we can do this?"

I glanced at her to see her anxious face before pulling my jersey over my head. "Definitely. We've just got to…focus." Focus, focus, focus.

"Yeah," Colleen agreed, my confidence seeping into her. "What was it that James said? Just thirty points, right? That's all we need to be ahead by to kick Slytherin out of the cup. That's not so bad." She shrugged and then continued to tie her boot.

I could tell that she was still feeling completely edgy, but was trying to psyche herself out of that mindset. "You alright there? Maybe you should've taken a bite of Sirius's lucky blueberry muffin," I joked, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Heh, yeah. Maybe…"

I stopped tying my own boot to look over at her.

Half-straddling the bench, with her arms around her propped up leg, Colleen was staring off into space with unease in her eyes. Her other leg was shaking with anticipation to get the match over with.

I sighed and walked over to her. "Hey. You'll be fine," I told her, to which she replied with a doubtful look. "You're an awesome Chaser. You fly incredibly and your passing is no worse than James's or mine. You'll be _fine_." I offered her a fist to bump, and she didn't disappoint, even adding a small smile into the mix.

"Thanks, Jenyse."

"'Course, Colls."

"Hey, you guys decent?" a voice from the end of the lockers asked us.

I checked to see that we were both dressed enough to let him enter before accusing, "Does it really matter to you, James?" making Colleen blush.

"Ha-ha. Very funny, Jenyse. I'm a taken man. And that's _Captain_ James to you," James said, as he walked around the lockers, towards us. "Just wanted to go over strategies alone with the Chasers. How are you guys holding up?"

"We had a little anxiety problem, but I think that's taken care of," I answered, looking to Colleen for confirmation.

"Yup. It's all good."

"All the time," I added, knocking my shoulder lightly into her.

James flashed a smile, assuring us that that was what he liked to hear, before getting down to business. The three of us went over a few of our Chaser plays and strategies, like we did before every game. Before every match, James liked to go over plays with each individual player or group of players, according to their position, making him a great captain.

Once our brains had been refreshed and we were all completely dressed and padded up, the two of us went back with James around the line of lockers, into the main area. The team sat along the benches, facing the chalkboard and James, awaiting a speech.

With a deep breath, James started. "Alright, team. This is it. If we nail this, it'll be a breeze to the Cup. Thirty points. That's all we need to put Slytherin out of the running. Three goals," he stressed, directing his gaze at Colleen and me. "On the other hand, Slytherin needs a load of points to knock us out of the competition. It should sound simple, but that just gives them all the more reason to do whatever it takes for them to beat us.

"So, this is my warning to you: they _will_ be aggressive – maybe more aggressive than we've ever seen them. That means stupid taunts, nasty body hits, wild Bludgers…. Anything to break us down. Just keep in mind that all that just makes them no better–"

Scandalized, everybody's heads turned to the door, where the source of the sound that made James pause mid-speech came from. Nobody interrupted the captain.

My reaction to the sound was a little delayed, because I was so focused on James's speech. The intensity of which he spoke was always so captivating. When I finally realized that he had stopped speaking, I confusedly turned my head, as a new voice started speaking.

"Hey, so, the sky's looking alright. The sun's a-shinin', but there are some friendly looking clouds to block the shine, at some points during the match. It's a little windy, but not too bad. Just hope you get the left hoops. The wind is blowing that way and will really help with goals. The ground is nice and tough; good for kickoff. It's a bit nippy out, but you guys have trained in colder. I'd say it's perfect weather for kicking Slytherin arse."

Focus my ARSE.

My eyes followed him as he moved from the locker room door to the seat in the front right corner, next to the chalkboard. If James wanted me to be completely focused on the match ahead, he needed to get Ian Hayes out of there, right at that moment.

"What the hell is he doing in here?" I asked quietly to whoever could hear, while James thanked Ian for his report.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sirius look at me with a raised brow. "James asked him to check out the weather conditions and report back before the match. Why?"

"No reason," I replied curtly, not taking my eyes off of Ian.

It took another second for Sirius's assessing eyes to turn away from me. He was still suspicious about Ian and me. Lately, I was able to downplay the weirdness between us, but today, it would be incredibly difficult to throw Sirius off my scent.

"No problemo, Cap'n," Ian replied to James's thanks, leaning back in his chair. His eyes wandered away from James to look at the team. When they landed on me, his expression turned blank before it morphed into cold, causing me to look away.

I tried to fight the guilt rising in me, but it was hard when I could feel his gaze on me. Doing my best to ignore him and the guilt, I set my attention back on James.

"Alright, so, where was I?" James asked, momentarily distracted.

"Slytherin sucks and are too weak to play fair," Benjy provided.

Everyone laughed at the sixth-year Seeker, but James, Ian, and me.

"Right," James said, focused once again. "Which means that Sirius and Adam?" he looked at the two Beaters. "You guys need to be on a lookout for anything fishy going on. You two should be the only ones controlling those Bludgers. Don't let those gits touch them."

"Ay ay, Captain!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Seth."

The fourth-year Keeper looked up from his wringing hands in his lap.

"Let's be generous and only give them – ehh – one goal, yeah?"

Seth smirked. "Alright," he agreed, while giving James a fist bump.

"Colls and Jenyse. Pass, pass, steal, pass, dodge, pass, goal. Shouldn't be hard for the two of you," James said, giving us a wink. "Remember: three goals ahead."

"You got it."

"Mmhmm."

James frowned briefly at my lackluster response.

I averted my gaze from him, surely guaranteeing myself a one-on-one with the captain.

"Uhh, yeah. And Benjy, my man," James addressed, laying his hand on Benjy's shoulder. "I have no doubt in my mind that you will catch the snitch. Just wait for my cue. Use those dives of yours to fool Dole and keep him away from the Snitch. Remember, remember, remember: _thirty points ahead_."

"Yyyup. Wait, what's the cue again?"

"Uhh….'Go, Benjy, go?'" James suggested.

Benjy nodded. "Got it."

"Good."

"We believe in you, too, James!" Sirius called out, to which the rest of us voiced in agreement.

James smiled, and then returned to addressing the team as a whole again, as he finished off his speech. "Alright, team. This is it. Do or die. We _must_ win this match. For Gryffindor, legacy, pride, respect, family honor, integrity, loyalty. To prove to Lily that I am someone."

A few people chuckled at that.

"We won it last year like it was nothing. With the training we've had all year this year, today should be a piece of cake. Let's make this a nine-year run for Gryffindor, yeah?"

"Yeah!" Sirius whooped loudly.

"Ian, here, will be in the Gryffindor stands. He'll be on the lookout for anything we need. If he tells you to do something, you do it. He knows the game as well as we do. I trust him, and so should you." He paused, looking at as all with great fondness and pride. "So…let's do this."

The team erupted in cheers and whoops. James having finished his speech, everyone went back to either talking amongst themselves or making themselves stay focused.

I could tell that Sirius wanted to talk to me, but was preoccupied by Adam, who was going over Beater tactics with him again.

"Hey, Hayes, do me a favor? Check if everyone's in the pitch already? Thanks."

I saw Ian's legs pass the spot on the wall I was staring at before I heard the door open and close. Not long after, I saw another pair of legs walk in front of the same spot, but walking towards me, instead of the door. I followed the legs up to the owner's face and saw that it was James. Sigh. Here goes.

James straddled the bench on my right and stared at me. It was a while until he spoke, but speak he did. "Jenyse."

"Hmm?"

"Look at me."

Taking a deep breath, I complied. He had that half-brotherly-concerned, half-captainly-stern look on his face that made me want to crumble up and hide. This was so not the time to have a heart-to-heart with James.

James's hand reached over to settle comfortingly on my back. "Something's up with you. I know you don't want to talk about it – you have that look – and I respect that. I'm sorry that whatever you're going through is happening during or happened right before a Quidditch match, but I need you to focus for me. Just let whatever's on your mind go and think solely about Quidditch. Can you do that for me?" His hazel eyes bore into mine, the concern in them showing more and more.

"Yeah. Sorry. It's nothing. Quidditch, Quidditch, Quidditch. We've got a match to win." I flashed him a forced smile.

He nodded, though still not convinced. "That's right. And I meant what I said earlier about listening to Hayes. That goes for you, too, Jenyse. Got it?"

I bit back a retort and, instead, replied, "Mmhmm."

James's hand on my back moved to my side as he pulled me in for a hug. "That's my girl," he said, before kissing the top of my head.

We released each other when we heard the clearing of somebody's throat, but James's hand remained on my back.

Hello, again, guilt. I missed you, the two seconds that you were gone. Merlin's freaking phalanges.

Without giving me one glance, Ian told James, "It looks like everyone's in the stands. We should be starting in a few minutes."

"Alright. Sounds good. Thanks."

"No problem. I'm gonna head to the stands now. Good luck."

For some reason, I knew that he had looked at me when he had said those last two words. I could feel his gaze. Once again, I heard the locker room door swing shut, and Ian was out of the building. I received a reassuring pat on my back from James before he stood up to address the team.

"Alright, team! Let's go out there and play some Quidditch! Hands in!"

Everyone put their fists up, in the middle of the circle that we made.

"Gryffindor on three! One, two, three–!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The team filed out, one by one, receiving high-fives from James, again, as we exited the locker room, brooms in hand.

Walking to our entrance of the pitch, Sirius walked next to me. "You good?"

"I'm good." I hoped.

"Good."

We stood in line, James in front and me behind him, waiting to be called into the pitch by the animated commentator, a seventh-year Hufflepuff, Kent Deering.

"Helloooo, Hogwarts!" Kent's voice echoed through the air. "Today is the day. An odd day, though, isn't it? Quidditch on a Sunday? That's just bizarre! But it is a splendid day, despite it all! Now, who's ready for some Quidditch?"

The whole pitch was filled with a roar of cheers, applause, and other various noises, in response.

"Alright! Today, we have two teams – enemies, if you will – fighting for their chance at the Quidditch Cup. In the red and gold, we have the Gryffindor team, led by – ladies, sorry, but he's a taken man – the brilliant Captain James Potter!"

James, wishing us luck one last time, flew into the pitch, leaving me at the front of the line. I watched as he circled around the pitch, above the crowd, pumping his fist in the air. I rolled my eyes when he blew Lily a kiss.

"His marvelous team consists of his fellow Chasers, Baccari and Cale; Beaters, Black and Murphy; Keeper, Miller; and Seeker, Fenwick!"

With me leading the way, we all took off, in the order that we were called, filing in behind James, who was still circling around the pitch. I put on my game face and forced myself not to look at the Gryffindor stands. I did my best to relax my body and just fly.

When the cheering died down, we went to land on our side of the central circle to await the entering of our opponents.

"Going against the reigning champions of eight years is the Slytherin team in silver and green! Captained by Keeper, Robert Gordon, we have Chasers, Sealey, Fallon, and O'Toole; Beaters, Mitchell and Styger; and Seeker, Dole!"

One by one, green figures zoomed into the pitch and flew above the crowd, just as we had done. They landed in formation, across from us, as Madam Hooch joined us in the middle of the field with the chest of Quidditch balls.

"Captains, shake hands!" she ordered.

James offered his hand to Gordon, who took it and squeezed it as hard as he could, rather than shaking it. From what I could see, James seemed to return the same amount of pressure to Gordon's hand before they let it go and returned to their positions.

"I want a clean match from all of you! I will not hesitate to give penalties!" she said sternly and loudly, so that all of us could hear. "Mount your brooms!"

"It looks like it's going to be a good fight! I mean, match! They've mounted their brooms. The balls have been released, and they're off! Gryffindor gets possession. Potter with the Quaffle. He passes it to Cale, who gets past O'Toole to pass it back to Potter. Potter dodges a Bludger with ease, hit by Mitchell. Potter passes it to Baccari."

All of Kent's commentary stopped entering my ears when I caught the Quaffle. I faked to the right to get Sealey out of my way, and then headed straight for the goals. I made a show of attempting a throw at the right goal post – which caused Gordon to zoom in that direction – but threw it to the left, where Colleen caught it and tossed it into the left goal.

"Brilliant play by Baccari and Cale! That's 10 to zero, to Gryffindor."

I made a loop around, so that I could give Colleen a quick high-five before heading back down to the other side of the pitch for defense. James gave us a thumbs-up before setting his attention back on Sealey, who had possession of the Quaffle and was flying our way.

"Sealey tosses it to Fallon. He throws it overhead to O'Toole, who's all the way in the other corner. Bad move, Fallon. This is no Muggle basketball game! These guys have got _brooms_! And Baccari intercepts the pass!"

I tucked it underneath my arm and made my way to the other posts. I took a peek over my shoulder to see if anyone was tailing me.

"JENYSE!"

I wasn't able to see the Bludger coming right at me until the last couple of seconds before it could hit me. I narrowly dodged it, throwing all of my body weight to my left and swinging myself back on top of my broom.

"That was a close one, Baccari! And Black whacks the Bludger back at Styger."

"Pay attention, Jenyse!" Sirius yelled at me.

I ignored him and passed the Quaffle to James, so I could look and see who yelled my name out in warning.

"What are you doing, Jenyse? Get down there!" Ian shouted to me from the front of the Gryffindor stands.

Though I wanted to rebel and not follow his directions, I knew I had to do it. I shot down to the other end, but was too late to participate. James had already scored.

"20 to nothing, Gryffindor!"

"Ugh!" I groaned, while heading back to where I had just come from. I turned my broom straight at O'Toole, going full speed.

Unfortunately, she saw me coming, and was able to make a short dive before I hit her and keep possession of the Quaffle.

"Bad luck, Baccari. O'Toole passes it to Fallon who _just_ scores past Miller, making it 20 to 10, Gryffindor!"

Seth cursed before grabbing the Quaffle and throwing it to me.

"The score is now 90 to 20, in favor of Slytherin. And there's a time-out – our first of the match – called by Gryffindor captain, James Potter."

Frustrated beyond all belief – even more so, after seeing Ian motion to James to call a time-out in five minutes –, I landed by the rest of the team, by the tunnel we had entered the pitch through.

James put on a level-headed façade, but I could tell that he was furious. He looked about ready to throw his broom at the nearest thing with a heartbeat. He didn't speak until Ian, out of breath, appeared in the tunnel, looking all flustered.

"What the hell is going on, guys? All they need is two more goals before Dole will be able to go after the Snitch, if they want to kick us out of the championships!" James exclaimed.

"James is right," Ian – much to my dislike – voiced his agreement. "You guys need to shape up if you want to win this match. You're facing things we went over thousands of times during practice. Why aren't you executing what we practiced?"

I forced myself to stay mute, not looking at him. I knew I was playing horribly. I just didn't know why. Or maybe I did…

"Sirius and Adam, keep doing what you're doing. Seth, I need you to step it up, buddy. They're faking you out like crazy," James said. "Colls, keep it up with the passes. Don't be afraid to go for some of those steals. Benjy, you're doing great, keeping Dole away from the Snitch. Let's get back in there and play like we're capable of playing. Come on!"

I was shocked and somewhat disappointed when James didn't direct any advice to me. I knew he knew that I knew how bad I was playing, but that didn't mean I didn't want a scolding to get me back in shape. Then again, telling everyone but me what they were doing right and wrong was probably enough to send me on the guilt trip.

"Hey, wait."

I stopped when I felt a hand grab hold of my arm and turned back to face Ian. We both paused as I shot a glance at his hand on my arm, after which he withdrew with lightning speed.

"You need to get your head in the game, Jenyse. I don't know what's wrong with you, today. If you want to win this match, you've got to stop thinking about whatever or whoever it is you're thinking about, and start thinking about Quidditch," he ordered in a quiet, assertive voice.

I looked in his eyes for a brief moment as I registered what he had just said. 'Whatever or _whoever_'? You've got to be kidding me. I didn't even bother to respond before I stormed off, catching up with the others. Who did he think he was, talking to me like that? He wasn't my captain. He wasn't even a Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake! I'd show him.

"And we're back in it! It looks like the Gryffindor team took some got whooped into shape during that much-needed time-out. Look at them go! Great goal by Baccari, making it 90 to 30, Slytherin! I see a comeback on the way!"

That's right, Kent. Here's the comeback of the season.

"Slytherin has possession. Nicely directed Bludger by Murphy! Sealey drops the Quaffle. Potter catches it and SCORES! That's two goals, _already_, by Gryffindor, before Slytherin even made it onto their half of the pitch! 90 to 40, Slytherin!"

A bunch of penalties, exceptional saves by Seth, mind-blowing hits and blocks by Sirius and Adam, and incredible steals, passes, dodges, and goals by Colleen, James, and me later, the score was 90 to 80, with Slytherin still in the lead.

"Potter is saved from a blow to the head by a Bludger by Black, who knocks it towards O'Toole, causing her to lose the Quaffle. That is some great teamwork right there! There are Cale and Fallon, racing to get the falling Quaffle! And Cale gets it! Passes it to Baccari, and SCORE! We're all tied up at 90 points to 90!"

I punched my fist through the air, pumped by the goal I had just made and the energy I was getting from the cheers of the crowd. I flew over to the Gryffindor stands, just for kicks, as well as to rub it in Ian's face.

He denied me the chance to boast when he yelled, "Get back on defense!" at me, pointing at the other goal posts.

Appalled, I didn't budge. "Why the hell are you being such an arse? I just scored three goals in the last twenty minutes and tied up the game! What else do you want? Get off my back!"

About to fly away, he stopped me, yelling over the noise of the crowd, "If I recall correctly, I wasn't the one with my hands all over your back last night!"

Unable to move, I just floated there, staring at him. I could hear nothing but yelling and screaming of the students watching the Quidditch match they came to see. It took me a while to finally react to what he had said. "I don't know what you're talking about!" I yelled back.

"Jenyse!"

I turned to see James throwing the Quaffle at me. I caught it and quickly passed it to Colleen who was wide open, down the pitch, and then turned back to Ian.

"Like hell, you don't! It was great to see you last night!" he shouted, so I could hear over all the other noises around us, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Really! It was a great present, seeing you and him, just as the clock struck twelve, marking the start of my birthday!"

I felt my eyes grow as wide as they could go as that fact dawned on me. His birthday. March 1st. Of course this whole thing would have to happen on this particular day. I chanced a glance up the stands and locked eyes with Travis for the first time since breakfast. I ignored his what-are-you-doing look, and looked back at Ian's livid face. Shaking my head in disbelief – of what part of the whole interaction, I didn't know –, I backed away and flew back to defense.

"Gryffindor lead 100 to 90! What a comeback! Gryffindor only need two more goals and the Snitch to kick Slytherin out of the running for the Cup!"

Taking all of my fury and applying it to the game, I managed to help James and Colleen get our team another ten points ahead.

"One more goal! Just one more goal!" James yelled excitedly to Colleen and me.

I managed to get possession of the Quaffle again after stealing it from O'Toole by bumping my shoulder roughly into her side and catching the falling Quaffle beneath her. As I was flying to the goal posts, I was knocked into, unexpectedly, by Sealey. The first hit wasn't that bad and I easily stayed on my broom and held onto the Quaffle, but I had to try harder to stay intact, after the second hit. Before I knew it, I was sandwiched between Sealey and Fallon, both nudging me back and forth. I tried to accelerate to lose them, but they kept up with me. With one last shove from the both of them, the Quaffle slipped from my grip and they got possession.

"Dammit!" I yelled as I tried to regain my balance on my broom.

"It looks like Baccari's alright, but Slytherin gets past Potter and Cale, and Sealey scores, making it 110 to 100, to Gryffindor!"

For the next twenty-five minutes or so, the match followed as such. We would be twenty points up, just one goal away from a catch from Benjy, and then Slytherin would score. Back and forth, the score would toggle from our team being twenty to ten points ahead.

"And Gryffindor is back to being twenty points ahead, at 170 to 150! This is getting to be the longest and most exciting match of the year, mates!"

"Come on, guys! We've got this! One more!" James encouraged us.

The higher the score went, the more frustrated I got. I was sick and tired of this match. I just wanted it all to stop, and get out of the yelling presence of Ian Hayes. This match needed to end.

"Slytherin has possession. O'Toole is heading down the pitch. She passes to Fallon. He passes to Sealey. It goes back to O'Too– No, wait! The Quaffle is intercepted by Baccari! Where did she even come from? She heads down the pitch at lightning speed! She passes to Potter! And SCORE! 180 to 150, Gryffindor!"

"GO, BENJY, GO!" James roared to the Seeker.

I watched as Benjy made a sharp turn from where he was fake-leading Dole to, to head the other direction, toward the real direction of the Snitch.

"Fenwick's been given the go for the Snitch! Slytherin's got possession of the Quaffle! Sealey is flying super speed towards his goal posts!"

I stopped watching Benjy when I heard Kent's commentary. I looked over and saw James tailing Sealey.

"Sealey passes to Fallon! It's– INTERCEPTED BY POTTER! Potter, about to throw to Cale, who is– NO! She's knocked off her broom by O'Toole! Hang on, Colleen!"

Terrified, I turned to see if Colleen was alright. She was hanging onto her broom with one hand, and her other hand was holding what I assumed to be a bleeding nose. I was about to go help her when I saw Adam flying towards her. Deciding she was about to be in good hands, I turned back to find James.

"Potter's still got the Quaffle. Look at Fenwick and Dole go! I've never– Oh, MERLIN! James Potter gets a hit to the shoulder by a Bludger sent by Styger!"

"JAMES, NO!" I screamed, shooting towards him.

"Fallon's got the Quaffle! He _just_ scores past Miller! We're back to a twenty point lead for Gryffindor, at 180 to 160!"

"James!"

"Jenyse! Get back and play!"

"What? Are you kidding? You're hurt! You need help!"

"Jenyse! Get back and play!" a new voice demanded.

I looked up at Sirius who was giving me a reassuring look with belief in his eyes. After a bit of internal fighting, I nodded and flew off.

I caught the Quaffle from Seth, midway down our half of the pitch, and swiveled around to face the other end of the pitch. Before I had the chance to react, my path was blocked by Fallon, who knocked me off my broom and stole the Quaffle. The adrenaline rushing through me allowed me to pull myself back onto my broom quickly. Determinedly, I sped as fast as I could to catch up to Fallon. Making my mind instantly, I did the only thing that came to mind.

Once I was right next to Fallon, I tightened my grip as much as I could and flipped my left leg over my broom. Miraculously, my broom kept its momentum forward, keeping up with Fallon's speed. I swung my weight forward, kicking up my foot, so that it hit right through the hole that his arm made, that wasn't covering the Quaffle. As I intended, the Quaffle shot out of Fallon's arm and into the air. I swung my leg, again, and kicked the Quaffle up. Letting one hand off of my broom, I reached out to catch the ball. Just as I caught it, Fallon's foot kicked me in the stomach, knocking the air out of me. I was a split second from letting go, before I quickly tightened my grip. I managed to stop my broom, abruptly – causing Fallon to zoom past me –, so that I could re-mount my broom. I swung my leg over the handle, and – by the grace of Merlin – managed to get back onto it.

Immediately, I sharply turned towards our goal posts and flew as fast as magically possible, while dodging anything coming my way. As I was approaching the distance where I would be close enough to score, I took a split second to think about how I was going to nail this goal. My lips grew into a smirk.

"Fenwick has gone into a dive with Dole close behind!"

Without thinking about the specific maneuver, I performed my original "favorite move" taught to me by my brother.

"Was that a goal? That was a goal! That was a kickarse move and goal by Jenyse Baccari of Gryffindor, making the score 190 to 160, to–! BENJY FENWICK HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH!"

Breathing heavily from the incredible amount of energy I had just exerted, I swiveled around to see Benjy flying around in circles, holding up his fist that was enclosed around the Golden Snitch.

"GRYFFINDOR WINS, 340 POINTS TO 160!"

"YESSS!" I shrieked in pure bliss. It was finally over. We had won.

I took a dive, to reach the ground as fast as possible. I didn't even wait until both of my feet were on the ground before I jumped off of my broom to run to the rest of my team. As soon as I was close enough, I jumped up and into Sirius's arms, which caught me easily. "WE WON!"

"Jenyse, you did it!" he exclaimed, just as excitedly. After hugging me tighter and making a few twirls, he set me on my feet. "You insane son of a motherless goat! What's wrong with you?" He hit me forcefully on the arm as his expression grew from elated to enraged.

"What?" I asked, rubbing the probably bruised spot on my arm.

"That idiotic move you made to steal the Quaffle from Fallon! You could have died! That was amazing!" He proved to be bipolar when he pulled me in for another hug and a kiss on the forehead.

I couldn't help but grin.

"Jenyse!"

"James!" I let go of Sirius and made my way to James. "Are you alright?"

His shoulder looked eerily deformed. "Of course I am. I think it's just dislocated. But never mind that. Besides the fact that you could've killed yourself, you were brilliant!" he praised as he pulled me in for a one-armed hug. He kissed my head repeatedly for a good minute.

"Thanks, James," I said with a laugh. "Now, go get that shoulder fixed!"

"Good call. Oi! Sirius!"

I chuckled as he moved away from me. It wasn't long before I was attacked again, this time by Colleen and Adam.

"Jenyse! Are you okay?"

"Jenyse, you were ridiculous!"

I smiled, gratefully. "Thanks, Adam. And I'm fine. How about you, Colls?"

"I'm good. The bleeding's stopped. I just have a killer headache."

"I bet. I would've helped you out, up there, but I figured you were in good hands." I shot her a smirk, noticing that Adam's arm was around her.

She blushed and shrank into Adam's side.

"See you at the party?" Adam asked.

Oh, Merlin. I hadn't even thought about a victory party. "Uhh, yeah. I'll be there."

"Awesome," he said, before steering them both away to congratulate other teammates.

Before I could find Benjy to give him a big hug, I felt a body collide into mine, from behind.

"Jenyse!"

I turned in Travis's arms to hug him back as the adrenaline and elation from the match still pumped through my veins. "Trav!" I exclaimed happily. "We won!"

"I know! But more importantly, you're alive!" he proclaimed thankfully, as he brought his hands to cradle my face and tilted it towards his.

At first I thought that he was about to give me a kiss on the forehead, like James and Sirius had done minutes before, but as soon as I saw him close his eyes and lower his target, I understood what he meant to do and freed myself from his gasp. "What are you doing?"

A confused expression on his face, Travis slowly opened his eyes. He stared at me for a second before smiling knowingly. "It's okay, Jenyse. It's a celebration. No one's going to care about a little PDA. Look."

I turned my head to see where he was gesturing to. Lily and James were snogging each other fiercely, in the middle of all the insanity surrounding us. I quickly averted my eyes.

"See?" Travis pointed out as he tried to kiss me again.

I pushed him away, halting him with my hands on his chest. "Trav, what are you doing?"

His happy smile started to falter. "Jenyse," he said.

I stared back at him, hoping he would understand.

"Oh," he said finally. "I thought," he sputtered. "But, before…I thought…"

I fidgeted uneasily, looking down at my hands. I wasn't ready for this. I didn't want that embrace we shared to be our last hug ever. I didn't want to lose his friendship, but I knew I had to do it. I couldn't keep leading him on. It would just build up and blow up in my face eventually. Breaking his heart would be saving his heart. I took a deep breath, paused, and then bravely looked him in the eye.

All traces of his smile were gone.

Not feeling so brave anymore, I quickly glanced around at all the cheering people around us. Colleen waved at me cheerfully before jumping into Seth's arms. I kept my eyes focused on them because it was easier than looking into Travis's eyes. "Trav, maybe we should go take a walk." I reached out to grab his hand, but he slapped my hand away.

"No," he said firmly. "No thank you. Anything you have to say to me you can say right here. What's going on with you?"

I looked down at my muddy shoes. "I don't know."

He tenderly lifted my chin and caressed my cheek with his thumb. "Not that I'm that experienced, but I'm thinking that it's okay to be a little scared. I'm a bit petrified myself, but it's a good scared, you know? Like my legs have turned to jelly and my heart beats like crazy every time I'm near you." He grinned. "This is new territory for us. Not that I'm complaining," he added enthusiastically.

I winced and removed his hand from my face. To soften the blow, I kept hold of his hand. "Trav," I breathed sadly.

He took his hand back and brought it to his side with a huff. "Jenyse, I don't understand. We kissed last night. I kissed you, and you kissed me back for a rather long time, I'll add. I thought, well, you seemed like you enjoyed it. Didn't you?"

I brought myself to look up at his vulnerable and expecting brown eyes, and I opened my mouth to answer him. My voice cracked. "Travis."

He looked away. "I think we should take a walk."

He held out his hand, as though he was going to grab mine, but he must of thought better of it, because he hastily stuffed it into the pocket of his trousers.

We meandered through the cheering Gryffindors, parting through the sea of red. Only, I didn't exactly feel like Moses at the time.

Finally, near the edge of the pitch, we found an uncrowded place where only a few Ravenclaw girls were standing.

He stopped firmly and looked at me.

I waited for him to say something, but he was silent. I took a shaky breath. "Trav, I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression," I started.

He balked. "The wrong impression?" he echoed angrily. "We kissed! You kissed me back. Believe me. I was there. How was that supposed to be taken?"

"I was confused."

"So you thought moving your lips against mine would help clear things up? Merlin, Jenyse." He looked away, again, angrily, throwing his hands in the air.

I frowned. "I wasn't sure what was going on," I defended lamely but honestly.

"Bloody hell!" he cursed venomously. "Jenyse, I've spent five years being in love with you. I asked you on a date. You said yes. I kissed you. What else was supposed to be going on?"

My heart faltered painfully as one word stabbed into it. "You love me?" I croaked.

Softening, he turned back to me. He moved closer to me and brushed my sweaty hair back. "I love you," he told me. "Always have."

I closed my eyes as tears began to well up, ready to taunt me by running down my face. I felt him lean in again, but I took a step backwards. "Travis, I can't."

He groaned. "Why not?" he asked. "Is there somebody else that I don't know about?"

I laughed humorlessly. "There's nobody out there. Trust me."

"Then why? We get along. We enjoy spending time together. We already know everything there is to know about each other. We could be happy together."

I smiled sadly. "No, we wouldn't," I said truthfully, almost breaking my own heart. "I couldn't make you happy."

Travis laughed. "Jenyse, yesterday was the best day of my life, up until you ran off, leaving me confused. You're the person I want to be with. I love you."

"I love you, too," I replied.

He smiled again, preparing for another attempt at a kiss.

"I'm just not in love with you," I corrected.

"Well, try," he pleaded. "Maybe if we just date for a little while, things will change, and–"

"Travis," I cut him off pathetically. "That's not the problem. I know what it is that you want from me, but I just can't give it to you. And I can't lie to you, either."

"I can change," he insisted as tears threatened to fall from his eyes. "I can be less demanding, less aggressive. Rewind. We can just take things one step at a time."

I sniffed. "You don't want that. You deserve better than that. You deserve better than what I could give you."

"Oh, don't give me that," he said sharply. "It's you that I want, Jenyse."

I took a deep breath and took a step away from him. A tear slid down my cheek. "We can still be frie–"

He held up his hand to silence me before I could finish the word. "_Don't_ say it," he said in a trembling voice. "I don't want to be just your friend anymore, Jenyse. I can't bear being around you all the time, watching you smile or brush back your hair, and knowing that I'll always want more. I want to be more than a friend."

Another tear fell. I tried to speak, but my mouth quivered as I sucked in my tears.

"But you don't, do you?" he asked in bitter rhetoric. "To you, I'll always just be 'Trav Trav the asexual lad,'" he spat before briskly pivoting to walk away.

"Travis!" I called out to him, my voice cracking loudly.

His body froze immediately, but he did not turn around.

"I am _so_ sorry," I said desperately, in between deep breaths to rid of the sobs overtaking me.

He sighed, and I saw his heavy shoulders sag. "I know you are," he said quietly over his shoulder where I could not clearly see his face, "but it doesn't make this any easier. I'm going to need some time alone to figure myself out and calm myself down before I destroy something."

"How much time?" I asked desperately.

"I don't know," he answered. "Just…if you do care about me at all, leave me alone." He walked away, leaving me in my pathetic state.

"Travis!" I called hoarsely, the sobs coming uncontrollably now.

This time he did not stop but just continued walking until he disappeared into the mass of scarlet.

Wanting nothing but to get away from all of the happy vibes that were coming off of everyone on the field that were solely present to mock me, I "Accio"-ed my broom and stumbled my way back to the locker rooms. Approaching the tunnel, I heard footsteps following me and a voice call out.

"Jenyse! Hey!"

Wincing, I covered my mouth in attempt to quiet my sobs, so that they wouldn't echo off of the walls of the tunnel, and walked on. Now was not the time, Ian Hayes. I quickened my pace, ignoring his frustrated calls. When I got through the locker room door, I ran to the shower room, slammed the room's door shut, and locked it quickly, just before Ian banged his fists against it.

"Jenyse, open up!"

I let my broom fall to the floor, before I leaned my back against the door and slid down it until my bottom reached the floor, not caring about the bathroom germs. With my arms around my legs and head against my knees, I rocked back and forth as the tears flowed freely.

The force from his rapping on the door hit my back. "Jenyse, you can't hide in there forever!"

"Hey, what's going on?" I heard James ask.

"Jenyse is in there."

"Jenyse? It's James. Are you alright in there?" he asked, concerned, through the door.

"I just want to be alone," I said, hoping my voice wouldn't be a giveaway of my crying state. "Please."

There was a short pause, and then James said, "Okay. We'll see you in the common room."

"You go. I'll stay and wait."

I cringed, praying that he wouldn't.

"No. You heard her. Let's go."

There was another moment of silence before the sound of angry footsteps began and faded. I thanked Merlin for James Potter.

"Take your time, Jenyse," James told me before following Ian out of the locker room.

Once I heard the outside door swing shut, I let myself go and allowed myself to get taken over by my sobs.

It was done. My friendship with Travis was over. After five years of having him as a best friend, I had managed to go and ruin it in one single conversation. I could hardly believe it. "I'm going to need some time," he said. How was I to know whether it would be a day or forever, before he forgave me? I couldn't just give him up just like that. Then again, it was all my fault for turning him away in the first place.

I wiped some of the snot that was running out of my nose on my already dirty uniform sleeve.

I never should have gone to Hogsmeade with him. But that's thing. I'd gone to Hogsmeade with him loads of times. I'd invited him over my house and gone over his house numerous times. What made that time so different? Why hadn't I seen a flashing light saying, "DATE! DATE! DATE!" anywhere?

Suddenly, anger at myself shot through me. What was I doing, making excuses for myself? There were no excuses for what I had done. It was _all_ my fault. I was the one who had missed the signs. I was the one who resultantly let his feelings grow as time passed on. I was the one who – though unintentionally – led him on. I was the one to blame. Travis didn't choose to fall in love with me.

Just like I hadn't chosen to fall in love with Alec.

I couldn't help but wonder whether things between Travis and me would've been different if I had never met or fallen in love with Alec, or if Ian had never woken up and come back to Hogwarts.

Who was I kidding? It had been no secret that I didn't like him in that way. Travis was adorable and all, but, me and him? It would have never worked out. For one, he absolutely despised my other best friends. Two, if I wasn't collected or strong enough to move on from Alec and just accept Ian for himself, how could I have moved on to someone completely different? And three…I'd known him for too long. Any feelings of that kind would've never come; I was sure of it.

And there's another thing. How could I not have figured out that he had feelings for me, after all this time? Was I that blind? That naive? Merlin, I was an idiot.

Mentally berating myself, I willed the tears to stop falling. By no means did it work. Another wave of sadness hit me, full force. It wasn't until after another twenty more minutes bawling my eyes out, did I calm down enough to pick my pathetic self off of the bathroom floor. Soft sobs still going through me at irregular intervals, I decided to clean myself off.

I unlocked the shower room door, opened it slowly, and entered the locker room to get my shower stuff. By the time I was cleaned, three times over, it had become well past an hour since I'd entered, and I had come to a decision.

I would obey Travis's request and give him as much space as I needed. There would be no chance in him ever forgiving me if I kept bugging him, asking him to accept my apology. I needed to respect his wishes if I wanted to get my friend back.

Finally feeling somewhat collected, I turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around my body. I took my time, getting dressed and fixing my wet, out-of-control hair. Taking one last look at my face in the mirror, I prepared myself for the victory party I was about to attend. I practiced my façade in front of the mirror for a little bit, and then made my way to the castle, broom in hand.

I walked slowly, and when I finally reached my destination and provided the password to the Fat Lady, I took a deep, calming breath before I went through the portrait hole.

I was only granted a few seconds to take in the view before I was surrounded by my teammates, but from what I could tell, the party had been going pretty well without my presence.

"And here she finally is! Jenyse Baccari: the hero of the day!"

My lips twitched slightly as I pulled Benjy down from the chair he was standing on, embarrassed from all the applause I was getting. "What are you talking about, Benjy? You're the one that won the game, you brilliant Seeker, you."

"If it wasn't for that ridiculous steal and awesome score you made last second – which I can't tell you that I saw, since I was on a Snitch chase –, we wouldn't have kicked those lousy gits out of the running for the Cup," he corrected, laying his arm around my shoulders. "Then again, I suppose we could share the glory." He winked down at me, and then pulled me in for a big hug. He kissed my cheek before releasing me to grab me a Butterbeer.

Not a minute passed before I was attacked by another teammate.

Seth hugged me briefly but excitedly, exclaiming, "You were amazing, Jenyse! That last goal was crazy! Gordon was nowhere _near_ blocking that Quaffle!"

I smiled. "You did great, too, Seth!"

He blushed. "Nahh, I was lousy. I let them score 160 points."

I gave him a look. "Did James tell you that you were lousy?"

"Well, no, but…"

"Then you weren't lousy. Case closed." I shot him another smile and ruffled up his hair.

Seth thanked me bashfully.

Not long after, Benjy came back with my Butterbeer, but didn't stay to talk, so I was left to wander the common room, looking for James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. I found them, along with Lily, by the food table – figures – and was engulfed in a group hug the moment I was spotted.

Laughing was a bad idea, for it left me with no breath, as my lungs were being crushed by the four boys. "Oxygen!" I dramatically croaked out.

Everyone but Sirius let go.

"Uhh, Sirius? Still…can't breathe…"

"Right!" he said, finally releasing me. "I'm just glad that you're alive and unscathed, is all. You prat!" He hit my arm again, just like he did right after the match, on the field.

"Ow! Stop it with the abuse! I won't be unscathed any longer if you keep hitting me like that."

"She's right, Padfoot. We need that incredible arm of hers," James said with a smile.

Remus pulled me in for another hug, saying, "Thank Merlin you're alright. You ever try something like that again, I'll kill you myself if it doesn't kill you first."

I chuckled at his concern. "I don't know what you guys are talking about. That move was completely safe."

"My arse, it was!" Peter disagreed.

The group of us laughed.

"But, seriously," Lily cut in, "you're lucky you pulled that off, Jenyse. That could've been a nasty fall."

"Yeah, I know." I was getting tired of hearing how dangerous that stunt I pulled was. "Sorry. I had to do it. Benjy was doing his thing and nobody told him to stop. We needed that goal," I defended.

"Yeah," James agreed. "I'm just glad you were able to do it without losing me a Chaser."

I hit James in the chest with the back of my hand. "Thanks for your concern, Captain," I said sarcastically.

James laughed, obviously still elated, and lifted me up in a hug. "You're the greatest, Jenyse! And I am honestly very glad to have you here, alive and kicking."

I grinned.

"You must be starving, Jenyse. You should go get something to eat before these guys eat all of the food," Lily advised, just as my stomach growled.

It wasn't until then that I realized that it was well past lunch. I agreed to grab some food, and all of them, but Remus, dispersed to different areas of the room – James and Lily to snog in a corner, and Sirius to entertain a crowd with different play-by-plays of today's match with the assistance of Peter. Since no one had asked where I was the past hour, I figured James had told them. Sometimes, I really, really loved James.

As I grabbed a plate, I asked Remus jokingly, "How's your heart? Still beating?"

"Thankfully, yes. You sure gave me a fright. I mean, imagine," he said theatrically, "a world without Jenyse Baccari."

"'Twould be a dull place."

"Indeed it would." Remus gave me one last one-armed hug, saying, "I've got to go monitor Sirius's number of Firewhiskeys. See you around?"

"Yep. Go take care of our boy."

Finally left alone, I filled my plate up with the various sweets – the only type of food there. When I was done, I took my plate and Butterbeer and walked over to the only open seat: the window sill. On my way, I received many congratulations from various people. Thankfully, though, nobody stopped to chat. Reaching my semi-secluded spot, I set down my bottle on the left side of the sill and sat on the right side, sideways, instead of facing out to the room.

Looking around, I could tell that this party was just beginning, even though it had technically started an hour ago. Gryffindors partied hard.

As I was putting my last bit of peach cobbler in my mouth, I saw a head of blonde, curly hair.

Travis was sitting in a chair, alone, not far away from me, near the fireplace, with his chin in his hands, staring into the fire. He looked so distraught. It was almost enough to make me go see if he was okay, but I knew that wouldn't accomplish anything. I watched as he sighed deeply and changed his position to lean back and slouch in his chair. His one hand moved to massage his temple, while the other rubbed one of his eyes.

Feeling worse and worse, I looked away from him and out the window.

"Trouble in paradise?"

I jumped and momentarily thanked Merlin for the glass preventing me from falling out of the seven story window. Turning to look at the culprit, my glare fell short. "What are you doing in here?"

"It's a party. I was invited," Ian replied cheekily from his leaning position against the wall behind me. "Let's skip the small talk, shall we?" He pushed himself off of the wall to stand in front of me. His face grew serious as he crossed his arms across his chest. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Offended, I replied, "What's wrong with _me_?"

"What did you think you were doing, pulling a stunt like that? You could have gotten yourself killed!"

I glowered at him. He would come over to yell at me for that. "I just wanted to get the match over with. I saw an opportunity, so I took it. And what's it to you if I got myself hurt? It'd be me who would have to deal with the pain," I spat.

"What, so I'm the bad guy for caring about your safety?"

"Oh, whatever! You're just mad that I won the game by making _my_ signature move, without the help from you."

"And what if I am? What were you thinking? You made that stupid, ridiculous stunt to get the Quaffle, almost throwing yourself off of your broom, just to attempt a goal, using a trick that didn't _absolutely guarantee_ a score?" he fumed.

"It went in, didn't it?"

He stared at me in furious disbelief. "I can't believe you."

"I can't believe _you_!" I returned. "Who do you think you are, talking to me like that during the match? You don't even know what you're talking about!" Instead of whisper-yelling like we had been doing, I turned in my seat on the window sill to flat-out yell heatedly in his face. Yelling didn't make a difference when it came to keeping our conversation private, because the volume of the music and several voices throughout the room drowned out our voices.

"So, that was what that whole stunt was about? You went and risked your life because you couldn't handle the blow of reality? How do you think it felt for me to see you and him, snogging each other's faces off, the moment I turned twenty years old? Oh, and by the way, incest much, Baccari?"

Shocked by every question he spat out, especially the last, I couldn't do anything but stare blankly at him. Finally overcoming my senses, I slid down from the window sill to stand right in front of him. I glared up at him for a moment before I spoke. "For your information, the only reason why that kiss happened was because I was caught off guard. Why do you think I ran off the moment I saw you? That kiss meant _nothing_ to me."

Not being able to take much more and not wanting Ian to see the tear threatening to fall from my eye, I brushed past him. I didn't get very far before I stopped, catching Travis's hurt-filled eyes.

Shit. He heard.

"Jenyse?" I vaguely heard from Ian behind me.

Taking to a run, I fled the scene, ignoring Ian's calls of, "Jenyse, wait!" and James's drunken calls of, "Hey, Jenyse! You're alive! Thanks for winning the match! Love you!"

In the comfort of my bed, I fell asleep after letting out a few fresh sobs.

When I woke up, I was shocked to hear the base of the music still playing in the common room. Rubbing the sleep and dried tears out of my eyes, I looked at the clock next to my bed. 11:48 PM. Dammit. It wasn't even tomorrow yet.

I peered around the room and counted three bodies. Lily's bed was vacant, so I figured she was still downstairs with James.

Unable to go back to sleep, I daringly decided to check out what was going on downstairs. Pulling my hood up, but not bothering to put my sock-clad feet into shoes, I trudged down the girls' staircase.

The sight that greeted me shouldn't have surprised me. The whole floor was a sea of scarlet, covered with sleeping drunken bodies. Taking the last step, onto the floor, my foot accidentally landed on the side of one of the bodies.

"Oughhr," the boy groaned.

I hastily took my weight off of him by jumping off and landing next to him. "I'm so sorry!"

He groggily ran his hand down his face, revealing the face of Ian Hayes.

I wanted to run back upstairs, but concern won out. I crouched down next to him to see if he was okay.

"Jenyse?" he said sleepily.

"Ian, what are you still doing here?" I asked gently.

"Ugh," he grunted as he pulled himself up to a sitting position, using the bottom stair. This proved to be a bad idea w

en the stairs transformed into a flat ramp, causing him to slip back down onto the floor. "Dammit!"

"Here." I hesitantly took his hands and stood up, pulling him up with me. "Ian, what are you doing here? You should go back to Ravenclaw Tower."

"No," he grumbled. "I was waiting for you." His hand moved to run over his face again to wipe the sleep away. "I tried to ask James and them how to get up the stairs, but they were too drunk to answer."

I looked in the direction he pointed and found James sprawled on the floor with Lily cuddled up to his side.

"I needed– _need_ to talk to you."

I let out a quiet laugh. "You could've just waited until tomorrow during class…which I hope they all know they have in seven eight hours," I said, motioning to all of the sleeping Gryffindors.

"No." He shook his head. "Now. I need to talk to you now."

I peered up at him wearily, about to deny him the chance, but changed my mind when I saw the determination in his eyes. I looked around the room and was able to spot all six of the seventh-year boys, including poor Travis, still in his chair by the fire. "Alright, come on," I said, leading him up the boys' staircase and into the seventh-year dormitory. I sank onto Sirius's bed and Ian followed suit, facing me. I waited for him to start.

"Jenyse, I'm sorry for everything I said today."

"Ian, you don't have to apologize," I told him quietly. "You have the right to your own opinions."

"No. You were right. I didn't know what I was talking about," he admitted, looking down. "I don't know what came over me. I was a real git today. I didn't have the right to judge you or accuse you of anything. What you do and who you see is none of my business."

"It's okay," I forgave him. Though I knew I should still be mad at him for the things he said to me today, I didn't have the power to hold the grudge. Hearing him apologize was enough for me to accept his apology.

His eyes snapped up to mine in surprise. "No, really, Jenyse. I'm seriously really sorry. Go date Decker. It's fine – well, not _fine_, per se – but, you know…" he stammered.

"Oh, so I need your permission, now, do I?" I joked in a mock-serious voice.

"What? No! I just mean that, if you were to want t-to date Decker, by all means, go ahead."

I smiled. I liked Ian all flustered, I decided. It was a nice change from the tough-guy front. It reminded me of Alec. "Ian, I'm not dating Travis."

He stared at me for a moment and then said, "If you and him not being together is in any way because of me, I am sorry. It's his loss, really."

The corners of my lips twitched upwards. "I was the one who told him 'no.'"

Ian just looked confused. "But, last night. You were kissing him."

I averted my gaze, remembering the scene. "I wasn't thinking. I was tired. Like I said earlier; he caught me off guard."

"Hmm," was all he said.

I returned my gaze to him, tilting my head in wonder. "Why do you care so much, anyway?" The moment the interrogative escaped my mouth, I regretted it and dreaded the answer.

Ian's hazel-green eyes bore into my plain green. There was something in them that I couldn't quite place, but for some reason made me think of Alec.

"How could I not, Jenyse?" he whispered, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear.

My heart beating fast, I turned away again, like the coward that I was. After a moment, I cleared my throat before saying, "It's late. You should get back to your dorm."

Letting out a breath, Ian nodded. "You're right."

In a comfortable silence, we made our way down the stairs and back into the common room. I walked over to the girls' staircase, ready to go back up to my bed, but was stopped on the second step, by Ian's voice.

"Hey."

I turned around to see him standing right in front of me, in the same spot I found him sleeping in, with his hands on the walls of either side of the stairs.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's 11:59, and I think there's a few seconds left of my birthday. Care to give me that birthday kiss I've been waiting for?" He had a smile displayed on his lips and a touch of hope in his eyes.

After a momentary internal struggle, I slowly stepped down to the bottom step, making myself level with him. I saw the excitement flash in his eyes as I placed my right hand on his shoulder. Slowly, I leaned forward until my lips brushed his cheek. Just as the big castle clock which could be heard all over the castle struck twelve, I pulled back.

There was a pleasant mix of pure delight and slight disappointment on his face as I retreated slowly backwards up the stairs with a small smile.

"Goodnight, Ian."

"Goodnight, Jenyse."

**A/N: hey there! so there it was. the scene that Molly Raesly practically wrote was the whole Neesy/Trav scene. thank goodness for her. let me tell you, it is a PAIN to write Quidditch. never again, i say, never again (wink to Adds). i'm actually quite pleased with how this monster came out. sorry for the ridiculous length. i hope it was worth the wait! please leave me a review with critiques, comments, suggestions, and favorite parts! you should know me by now.**

**thanks so much for reading! see you at the next chapter!**

**~ Danica**


	8. I thought you'd never ask

**A/N: HI! so, it's 12:32AM EST on 9/7/10, but i figure it's still Labor Day in all of the other time zones in America, right? let's all just pretend that i didn't break my promise, yeah? alright, cool. =D though i FINALLY don't have to apologize for taking forever again, i do apologize for the length - or, lack thereof - of this chapter. 8095 isn't bad, but if you had gotten used to my gigantor chapters (12,000+ words? i mean, really?), i am sorry. i hope it's worth the read, though! THANKS: to Molly Raesly aka Addison, as always! she's the best butt-kicker-to-write out there. and her encouraging messages like, "I believe in you!" and, "You can do this!" were very helpful. =P oh, and the help with the outlining (bahaha. inside joke). she's the greatest.**

and thanks to YOU, dear reader, for coming back to read this chapter! you're the best! *tap on the nose*

and on with the show...

Chapter 8: "I thought you'd never ask."

"You can't just say that and expect me to be all fine and dandy about it!"

"Jenyse, calm down."

"No!"

"At least put your wand away?"

I glowered silently back at his pleading face for a moment, and then complied, putting my wand in my messenger bag. Placing my hands calmly at my side, I took a breath before I started, again. "How…could you not like…Jason Stone?" I asked, peeking incredulously at him.

Ian rolled his eyes, rubbing his temples. "His music is _rubbish_, Jenyse."

I opened my mouth to retort angrily, but he beat me to it.

"Ah-ah-ah. It's my turn to talk, Jenyse," he chided, as though I was a child. "I've got the talking stick."

I raised an eyebrow, to which he replied by pulling out a pencil from his own bag. It was my turn to roll my eyes, but I let him continue.

"Good girl. Now, as I was saying…his music is complete and utter crap. Ah–" he said when my mouth opened again. He waved his "talking stick" in my face and once he was convinced I wouldn't interrupt again, he went on. "His name should be Jason '_Stoner_', not 'Stone.' Have you listened to his lyrics?"

I stalled – mentally and physically – as we stopped by some of our other classmates outside of McGonagall's classroom, to which the door was still closed. "Alright, so he's a druggie," I admitted, "but that doesn't mean his music isn't great!"

"And by great you mean sucky, right?"

I glared, reaching in my bag to get out my wand again. Unfortunately, I was stopped by Ian who grabbed my arm before I could pull my weapon out.

"Alright, alright! His music's fine! Great! His music's great!" he added when my glare didn't waver. "Now, just drop the wand, and everyone will be alright; especially the guy with the brain damage."

I dropped my hostility and laughed, submitting to his demands.

He let out a dramatic sigh of relief and then extracted my hand from my bag by my arm. He slid his hand down to take hold of mine, theatrically saying, "Thank you for sparing my life, Ms. Baccari," while staring straight into my eyes.

"Uhh, hey, guys," said a suspicious looking Remus, glancing back and forth between Ian, me, and our linked hands.

We quickly let go and put more space between us, his hand going to rub the back of his neck and mine to clutch at my bag strap, going across my chest.

It had been twenty-three days (no, I was not counting) since Ian's birthday, when we had that heart-to-heart in the seventh-year Gryffindor boys' dormitory after the Quidditch match victory party. It was that night that we had shared a silent mutual agreement to be friends. Since then, we had gotten along increasingly well, even hanging out a few times without the Marauders around. Even though our friendship grew, day by day, it unfortunately didn't stop awkward moments like these.

Remus's brow rose even further. "What's up?"

"Oh!" Ian cleared his throat. "I was just saving the day from a very furious Jenyse Baccari. You know…same old."

"Ahh. What'd you do this time?" Remus asked knowingly. "Criticize her on her Quidditch ability? Bring up last week's blood incident? Declare your dislike for Jason Stone?"

"Wh– I didn't know she'd react like that!" he defended, flabbergasted at Remus's mighty knowledge. "How'd you know?"

Remus clapped his hand on Ian's shoulder, pityingly. "Seven years, mate. Seven years."

"Hey!" I cut in. "Is that disdain I hear in your voice, Remus Lupin?"

"Not at all, Jenyse," he assured me. He put his arm around my shoulders, and I could detect a little protectiveness in the action.

I refrained from rolling my eyes again. I caught Ian's eye, but we both looked away quickly, still feeling awkward from what had just happened when Remus came.

Luckily, we didn't have to endure any uncomfortable silences afterwards – McGonagall had come to save the day. She opened the door and allowed the group of us waiting into the room to await the start of class.

I sat in my seat, behind Remus – who sat backwards, straddling his chair – while Ian stood by us.

He set his books down on my desk. "Hey, Jenyse, can I see your wand for a sec?"

I eyed him suspiciously but gave in, slowly fishing out my wand. I placed it in his awaiting hand, and he looked at it for a brief moment before handing it over to Remus. I raised a brow, not bothering to voice my questions.

"Hold this for me? Thanks," he said to an amused Remus before turning back to me. "Now that you're unarmed, I can support my argument of Jason Stone sucking as a musician."

Indignantly, I declared, "Hey! You can't just say that, take it back, and then say it again only when I'm unarmed! That's not playing very fair, Hayes."

"I'm gonna have to agree with her on this one, Ian. Clearly, you don't know the extent of Jenyse's obsession with him," Remus said, receiving a grin from me.

Obviously not caring, he fixed his tie and buttoned the top of his cloak. After a moment of Remus and I staring, waiting for him to respond, Ian looked between us, wearily. "May I finish?"

We let him continue, but I stared him down carefully, warning him silently to tread lightly.

"Just because the whole country all of a sudden likes one song that he wrote, doesn't mean he's an artist. Jason Stone is nothing but a one-hit wonder. His lyrics have no substance, his guitar playing is amateur, and, frankly, he sounds like a girl."

Taking a deep breath to keep my temper, I replied, "You can't just judge a singer by one song. You have to hear his old stuff to really know and appreciate him."

"Alright, fair enough. I will allow you to educate me on his music. But in the meantime, I'll show you what _real_ music is. There are some talents I have that you don't yet know about, Ms. Baccari," he informed me, wiggling his eyebrows.

I was a millisecond away from correcting him. I was sure that he was talking about his singing and multiple-instrument-playing talents. But I wasn't supposed to know about that. Alec had told me about those things, but Ian hadn't. Once I had recovered from my almost slip-up, I played innocent. "Oh? And these talents would be…?"

"Do I really want to be hearing this conversation?"

My head swiveled to face Sirius, who had just slid into his seat next to me, and Peter, who sat next to Remus. I broke out in laughter when seeing Sirius's – and noticing Remus's and Peter's similarly – semi-disgusted expression. "Oh, shut up, Sirius." I bashfully glanced up at Ian, to see a smirk upon his face.

"So, what do you say?"

Remembering what he was referring to, I asked, "Well, do I really have a choice?"

Ian's smirk just morphed into a smile that I was very familiar with. One that I used to be very well acquainted with. One that – ever since Ian's birthday – had been showing up more and more often. One that was oddly, but adorably, crooked. One that was displayed by two different people, on one shared set of lips.

I ignored the yearning for Alec within me and reminded myself that Ian, though, to me, a different individual, was still as good a person as his spirit was – as, I realized, it should be. My brain befuddled by that particular thought process, I shot a small smile back.

The bell rang, and Ian left to go take his seat, a couple desks back in the row of desks next to ours.

"Wand please, Remus," I requested, as I went in my bag to take out my textbook. When he didn't hand it over right away, I looked up expectantly. I was greeted with knowing looks. "What?"

"Nothing," Remus sighed, putting my wand on my desk, before turning to sit in his chair correctly.

"What is it?" I asked Peter and Sirius.

Neither answered; they both just shook their heads and faced the front of the room.

I slammed my book on the desk with frustration. What were they playing at, looking at me all knowingly? There was nothing for them to know! There was nothing going on between Ian and me, if that was what they were getting at. They didn't have to get all protective on me.

"Everybody take your seats, please," McGonagall ordered.

The sound of chairs scraping across the floor sounded through the classroom. I was distracted from watching James and Lily sit down at the desk next to Remus's, when I heard the chair behind me move and someone sit in it.

Mid-scooching my chair in, I stiffened in my seat and waited for the familiar sadness and guilt to fill me, like it had been doing, nearly every class, since the second day of this month of March. Looking down at my lap, I listened to the pile of books being set down and the light sound of wood against wood, made by a wand being placed on a table. Closing my eyes, Travis's heartbroken face seemed etched behind my eyelids.

"You alright?" I heard Sirius ask, though I wish he hadn't. He had spoken quietly enough so that McGonagall – who was starting class – wouldn't hear, but Travis would have heard him just fine.

I cleared my throat, but didn't look up. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine." I finished situating myself closer to our desk and pretended to turn my attention to McGonagall. I watched her movements, but didn't listen to her words.

Though Ian and I had been getting closer and closer with time, there had been no progress or reconciliation made between Travis and me. Every time I saw him, it had taken everything within me to just walk away and leave him alone. If I had had my way, I would have sat Travis down and made him listen to and accept my apologies and return to being my friend, in an instant. But I needed to respect Travis's request for me to leave him alone and give him time. Otherwise, I might never get him back.

Twenty-three days, it had been. Nearly a month of seeing my best friend affected by the pain I caused him. Nearly a month of seeing my best friend every day, everywhere I went, but never actually having him be there with me.

Noticing that everyone had their notebooks opened and their quills scratching against their pages, I sighed and followed suit, copying down the theory behind Conjuring Spells that was written on the board.

"Now, I'd like you all to spread out and pick a spot in the room, and practice conjuring these items listed on the board," McGonagall instructed, flicking her wand at the board, which flipped to reveal its other side with the aforementioned list of items. "Get to work."

The moment she said this, I heard the swift scraping of Travis's chair, again, and his rushing away to find a spot in the room.

I wasn't a fool. I didn't expect him to ask me to join him, but I couldn't help my feelings being hurt when he was the first person to leave his chair, surely in a haste to get away from me.

"Come on, Jenyse," called Peter, who was heading toward the front corner of the room with Remus and Sirius.

I got up, grabbed my wand, and joined the group of six – James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Lily, and Ian – by James and Lily's desk.

For the rest of the duration of the class, we practiced conjuring the items on the board, first verbally and then silently. Conjuring spells, I had learned, were a lot harder than the Vanishing spells we had learned for our O.W.L.s. By the time class ended, I was only able to silently conjure a third of the items.

The whole time, I couldn't help wishing that one of the things on the list of items to conjure was a solution to the problems between myself and a certain Travis Decker.

~*~

_Hey, Jeneesy!  
I hope you're doing well and not getting too stressed from all the N.E.W.T. work you're getting. I'm assuming that that's the reason why you haven't been writing much in your letters back with Ian's checkup results. I suppose I'll live without your snarky letters full of complaints. Updates from home: your car's fine, Alaina gave into Jarron and let Jondi join a little league Quidditch team, Baby Jaylyn has visited every week (we can never get your mum off of her), Jace and David are still together (yes, we're all as shocked as you are), and your mother has finally stopped with the whole cat business. Instead, she opted to get an owl (yes, the one that gave you this letter). Three guesses to what letter she named him with. Her two top choices were Jonah and Jethro. Honestly…"Jethro"? Luckily, I convinced her to go with Jonah. Anyway, Easter's coming up. I expect to see James, Remus, Peter, and Sirius with you when you walk through our front door. With one last reminder from your mum to quit the caffeine (it's only because she loves you; you know that, right?), I bid you goodbye. Love you, Nees.  
Love, Dad_

P.S. Jonah's an eater.

I looked past the letter in my hands to find said owl nipping at the toast on my plate.

"Hey! Get your own breakfast," I told the yellow-eyed demon, whom, I was sure, had taken my place as the family baby, in my mother's eyes. I ripped off half of the roll in Peter's hand and fed it to Jonah. "There you go, you little beast. Go on. Go back to mummy."

Jonah snapped at me – quite brattily, I might say – before taking off and flying out of the Great Hall, along with everyone else's owls.

I looked at the small piece of parchment behind the letter briefly and saw that it was instructions for this week's checkup. As I was folding the letter back up, another postscript caught my attention, below the first.

_P.P.S. I almost forgot – I want you to invite Ian over for holiday, too. I just think it would be foolish to let him come only on Fridays for his checkups. From what you've told me, I believe he's friends with the boys, right? There's plenty of room in the family room. He's got no home to go to, remember? It's the least we can do. Please invite him. For me? Thanks, Jeneesy. – Dad_

"What'd Papa Baccari say?" asked James, when I folded the letter up and put it in my bag. "Everyone's okay, right?"

At first I was lost, but understood his concern when I realized what my face probably looked like: full of dread. Even _Alec_ – who could go anywhere he wanted in the world – had never been to my house, and as much of good friends Ian and I were becoming, I didn't think I could handle having him in my home for a week and a half, watching him interact with my family.

"Yeah, they're all fine."

"Then what's with the face?" Sirius asked with his mouth full of oatmeal.

I didn't want to get into it, so I joked, saying, "My father _wants_ you guys to come over. What has the world come to?"

"What do you mean?" Peter asked.

"Your dad loves us, Jenyse," James added. "Why wouldn't he want us over for the holidays?"

I stared at him, feeling shame for being friends with such a dimwitted person. "He's my father. He's supposed to hate the boys I hang out with. It's in the father code."

"She's right," Lily pitched in. "It's in their nature to be overly protective; especially if you're the youngest girl in the family. My dad hates your guts, James."

James stopped, mid-chew, in shock. "But– but you said your parents loved me!"

The rest of us laughed and let the two of them duke it out amongst themselves, while we went back to our food.

Remus walked alongside me when breakfast ended and we got up to head to the dungeons for Potions. "Hey, Jenyse," he said, knocking his side into mine.

"Hey, Remus," I shot back playfully, returning the gesture.

"Whatcha doin' tonight?" he asked with sing-songy voice.

I smiled at his lightness, despite the coming full moon. He was clearly looking ill, but didn't show it in his attitude. That was one of the things I admired most about Remus. Copying his tone, I replied, "I'm hanging out with you."

He grinned, squeezing me to his side. "I've got dungeon duty–"

"Hah! You said 'doodie.'"

"Mature," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, before going on. "As I was saying, I've got to patrol in the dungeons. Wanna keep a lonely man company as he walks through these creepy halls tonight?"

"Sure, but what _man_?"

Remus shoved me away from him, mock-offended, making me bump into someone as I chuckled.

"Whoa, there, Jenyse. Save the feeling up for Friday's checkup."

I put on an angry face to cover up the blush growing on my cheeks. I didn't bother to satisfy him by answering back testily, but I answered Remus, instead. "I was kidding, Remus. You're as manly as a man can be."

"Yeah, sure," Remus said, laughing. "Sooo…?"

"It's a date, my lovely manly man Potions partner!" I agreed. I may or may not have been choosing my words and turning my back to Ian on purpose, but my actions sure did get a reaction.

"Wait," a – might I say _jealous_ – Ian cut into our very private conversation, "you two are going on a date tonight? As in…a date?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who's going on a date?" exclaimed Sirius, forcing his way in between Ian and I, which proved to be a horrible idea, seeing as we were going through the classroom door.

Poor Remus was squished in between the door frame and me. "Padfoot! You git! That hurt!"

"Ooh, sorry, Moony. It's the Beater in me. I've got to protect our little girl," he explained, throwing in a hair-ruffling of my hair.

I swatted his hand away, pushing him the rest of the way into the room, so that everyone else could get through. "Cool it, Black. Remus and I are just patrolling together tonight in the very romantic halls of the dungeon." I gave him a slap in the back of the head for overreacting.

"Oh. Well, why didn't you say so?"

I rolled my eyes and quickened my pace, to get away from him and to hide the smile on my face when I heard Ian's and Sirius's "hushed" conversation.

"And you're okay with that?" Ian asked, clearly concerned.

"Uhh, yeah, Hayes. They're practically brother and sister. Remus would kick any guy's arse who tried to make a move on Jenyse, too."

I could practically hear Ian gulp as he walked to his seat at the desk next to Remus's and mine.

Again, when everyone was in the room and class began, all of my happy feelings went out the door. Even though Travis sat right behind me in Transfiguration, Potions was the worst class. Not only was I miserably aware of Travis, across the aisle to my right, but _Ian_ had to be his partner.

Like every Potions class I had attended in the past twenty-three days, I sucked in a deep breath and hoped for the best. More often than not, I casted a glance at the pair and was highly aware of the heavy silence between them, as Remus and I worked together to create our own potion.

Remus and I got an Outstanding from the very boisterous Slughorn, as per usual, and cleaned up our station.

When the bell rang, I winced, once again, as Travis shot up speed-walked down the aisle. Recovering from the mental blow, I got up, but paused, noticing a quill on the floor next to Travis's chair. I picked it up, ignoring whatever Ian was saying to me. After much inner conflict, I muttered, "Screw it," before calling out, "Travis!"

As expected, Travis kept his long strides.

"Travis! Hey, Trav, wait!" I called, chasing after him.

To my slight surprise, and relief as well, Travis stopped right before the door, took a deep breath, and turned to face me, without really looking me in the face. "What?"

I paused, forgetting for a second what I was doing, when I saw his expression. It was clear that he still hated me and wanted nothing more than to leave the room and put as much distance between us as possible. "Wait!" I said when he moved to do just that. A couple of people were behind me, trying to get through, so I moved to the side, mentally thanking Travis for following me. "I–…Your quill. You dropped it," I said lamely, holding it out for him to take.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

We stood there for a moment, until Travis nodded and started to walk away.

I rushed back up to him before he could leave. I figured that since I had already dug myself this cozy little hole, I had nothing to lose. "So," I started urgently, "how have things been going? Are you okay?"

His blank stare made me feel awful and dimwitted.

"Sorry," I apologized quickly, "stupid question. Of course you're not….I mean….Sorry. Merlin, my tact does not seem to be in tact today…. Sorry, bad joke." I let out a short, shaky laugh.

Travis didn't respond; he just adjusted his bag on his shoulder and walked out of the door.

I followed him again, reaching out my hand to touch his shoulder, but thought better of it and quickly retracted my hand. Ignoring the other traffic in the hall and trying to keep up with his pace, I said, "Travis, please talk to me. I feel absolutely terrible. I can't even begin to tell you how so–"

Suddenly, Travis stopped and faced me, almost making me run into him. "Stop–…just, stop saying you're sorry. Please," he said, holding his hands out between us with his palms facing me.

"Oh, right, I'm so –…well, you know. It's just that I am. I think about us and just wish–"

"I know," he muttered with his head down. There was a slight awkward pause before he murmured, "Me too."

"Trav, I just want us to go back to the way things were."

"It can't– _We_ can't go back."

I looked away, feeling my heart sink.

"Look, I know that you're only trying to help, but having you around me is doing the exact opposite of helping me."

"I miss you, Trav," I told him, my voice cracking, as my fingers picked at a string on my bag strap. I chanced a glance up at him, but averted my gaze quickly.

Travis let out a heavy sigh, but didn't say anything.

"I wish there was a spell or potion or something I could do or make to make things right with you." Feeling brave, I looked him in the eyes. "It hurts to see you like this – in so much pain. Tell me something that I can do," I begged.

"I told you. I need time."

"Time. I can do that. We can ease back into it," I proposed, full of hope.

"And space."

All hope drained from inside of me. "Right. Space from me." Not feeling so brave anymore, I let my head droop down.

"I don't like it either, Je–… You don't know how much I wish– …It's just what I need," he explained, stumbling through his speech.

"How long do y–?"

"I don't know.

"Trav…I really am–" My voice gave out, not allowing me to finish my apology.

Once again, Travis gave a short nod, and then walked away, leaving me feeling abandoned.

I stood there for another minute, with my head down, willing myself to accept what had just occurred and move on, at least for now. Realizing I only had a few more minutes to get to my next class I took in a shaky breath and started walking. I jumped a little when I heard footsteps behind me, catching up, and turned to see who it was.

"Hey! That's twice already today that you didn't wait for me to go to class. Wasn't that one of your first assignments or whatever from Healer B.?"

A small smile crept onto my face, as I started walking again. "Sorry. I thought you were with the other guys."

"Nope. I was waiting for you. You left your book on your desk. I thought you were going to come back to get it."

"Thanks," I murmured, taking it from him and clutching it to my chest.

A sniff from me caused Ian to peek at me concernedly. Somehow, I knew that he had witnessed all of what had just gone on between Travis and me. I mentally thanked him for not mentioning it, but just wrapping his arm comfortingly around my shoulders as we strolled together to our next class.

~*~

"Hey."

I looked up from place, kneeling on the floor in front of my trunk, to see Lily coming through the dormitory door. "Oh, hey, Lily," I greeted, glad that it wasn't any of my other roommates. I went back to rummaging through my trunk. "What are you doing up here?"

Lily sat on her bed, next to mine, and I saw her shrug from out of the corner of my eye. "I thought I'd take a nice long shower and snuggle into my warm bed with a friendly book," she replied, sighing with a dreamy look. "Hmm…or maybe I'll take a bath in the Prefects' bathroom."

A little jealous, I smiled and said, "Merlin, that sounds amazing," pushing a picture album aside to dig deeper into my trunk.

"Mmm, yeah. And I get the added bonus of infuriating James by not letting him participate." She laid back and gave a little laugh. "He gets so pouty when he doesn't get what he wants. It's annoyingly adorable."

I rolled my eyes, throwing a book on my bed, which made a small thud, to make more room.

"What are you looking for?"

"Cloak," I grumbled, a little distracted by my hunt. I paused and sat back on my heels. "I have the luxury of staying warm and cozy in the drafty dungeons tonight. Remus is taking me on his patrol." Taking a breath, I went back to my search.

"Oh, I do not envy you."

"Tell me 'bout it." Defeated, I sat back again to look at Lily. "Hey, you haven't seen– Oh, I'm in idiot." I mentally hit myself, grabbing my wand. "_Accio cloak_!"

The cloak flew out from a drawer across the room towards me. I caught it, glaring at the stupid thing.

I got up, put the cloak on, and then started for the door, saying, "Well, I better–"

"Travis Decker has seemed pretty down lately."

I froze with my hand on the doorknob.

"Sorry," she said quickly. "I know it's not my place to intrude; it's just that I've noticed that you two have kind of been avoiding each other lately."

I turned and saw Lily in a sitting position, now. I slowly walked over to her bed to lean against one of her bedposts. "Yeah, we, uh, well…there was a bit of a falling out."

Lily nodded knowingly. "Yeah," she sighed, "I know a little bit about those. Look, Jenyse, I know that we really only talk now because of the Marauders, which is kind of ironic, since they were why we stopped talking in the first place–"

My eyebrows drew together. "We're friends. Really, Lily," I told her earnestly.

She flashed a smile. "Thanks. I just want to tell you," she said seriously, "that it's not your fault."

The crease in my forehead grew as my eyebrows drew closer together. "Huh?"

"Travis, Jenyse. His liking you and all of the drama it's caused. It's not your fault," she insisted, looking me straight in the eye.

"How–," I cleared my throat and crossed my arms across my chest, "How'd you know?"

Lily just shrugged, saying, "I'm pretty observant, I suppose. Aaand, I know the signs. I've been there before."

I felt a little embarrassed having this talk with Lily; like I was intruding into her personal life, as she was mine. I had a feeling I knew what she was talking about. A little shyly, to be sure, I asked, "You mean, with…Snape?"

She nodded slowly. "Look, Jenyse, I know it's awful and it's eating at you inside, but you have to stop feeling guilty."

"But– he's my friend!" I retorted, losing my cool. "I should've realized sooner or done something to make it better. I need to help him somehow. I need to try and–"

"Jenyse," Lily firmly cut in, "you can't make yourself fall in love with him."

I cringed internally when I heard her words.

"You can love him as a friend and be there for him," she went on, "but you can't force something that isn't there. You'll only end up hurting yourself and him in the long run."

I sighed, realizing that she was right, and sank down next to her on her bed. "I've done a pretty brilliant job at that already," I grumbled.

Lily took her own sigh. "Losing Severus in my life was one of the hardest things…but I couldn't give him what he wanted," she admitted. "It took me a while to realize this, but I didn't have anyone to give me any advice." She turned to look at me, but I avoided her gaze.

"So what did you do?"

"Muck things up, mostly," she confessed. "But our case was different. There's a lot of water…. I think you and Travis will have better luck. You just need to let the wounds heal for a while. Give him time to get over you."

I nodded, absorbing all of what she was telling me. "So you think there's hope?"

"I'd say so," she said, confident. "I've got James now. I'm happy. I think I might lo–"

I smiled at her slip-up.

"Anyways," she rushed on, "you still have a chance to find the right guy. More importantly, though, you have to give him room to find a girl who can love him back."

I let this sink in, finding myself believing her. "And you and Snape?"

She shrugged, looking down. "Every relationship is different. You just shouldn't blame yourself for something that's not your fault. Believe me."

I did, nodding. A moment later, I got up.

"Good luck on patrol tonight. I heard a bunch of fourth years talking about dungbombs before," she said with a laugh.

I chuckled lightly along with her. Looking back at her, I said, "Thanks, Lily," sincerely.

"Anytime."

I gave her a smile and then walked out and down the stairs to a waiting Remus Lupin. "Hey."

"Hey, what took you so long?"

"Couldn't find my cloak," I said nonchalantly. "Shall we go?"

"We shall." Remus held his arm out for me to take. Such the gentleman.

When we got out of the portrait hole and into the corridor, I said, "So, Lily said she overheard some kids talking about dungbombs."

He groaned. "Well, this is going to be a lovely night."

"Of course it is, Remmy," I told him playfully. "You're spending it with me."

He smiled down at me, squeezing me to him. "So, what are the plans for break?"

I grinned, thankful for a light conversation. "The usual. Big huge party in the yard, lots of food, stupid – but surprisingly fun – games that my dad comes up with. You've been over for Easter before. You know what goes down with the Baccari's."

"Ahh, that I do," he agreed, as we went down the many steps leading to the Entrance Hall. "Do we get to meet the baby?" he asked excitedly.

I laughed at his enthusiasm. "Of course you do. You've got to help me keep Sirius away from her, though. Don't want him corrupting the little girl at such a young age. He's already practically charmed the pants off of my mother, sister, _and_ niece. Jondi asks me where he is, every time I visit."

"Right, how _are_ your mum and sister?"

Disgusted, I punched him lightly in the arm. "That's gross, Remus."

He guffawed, grabbing my hands to keep me from hitting him again, as we both walked sideways down the stairs into the dungeon. "I was just kidding, Jenyse," he assured me. "But your parents are cool with all of us staying over?"

I shot him a look. He asked me that every time I invited them over and he always said it was because he didn't want to be a burden to my family. And every time – including this one – I would assure him, saying that, "My parents had more than one kid for a reason."

"If you say so," he said, unconvinced. "What about Ian? Is he coming, too?"

I could feel my cheeks going red and thanked Merlin that the lighting in these halls sucked. "Why?"

Remus shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, he has nowhere else to go, and he really only hangs out with us here. Plus, your dad is his Healer, right?"

My eyes narrowed at the whole world. Everyone had multiple valid reasons why Ian should go to my house for the holidays, while I had one reason why he shouldn't, that couldn't even be voiced. I sighed, deciding to tell Remus. "My dad told me to invite him," I grumbled.

"You don't look too thrilled," he observed.

It was my turn to shrug. I very well couldn't tell him my reason.

"Have you asked him yet?"

"Asked who what?"

"Ian. Have you invited him yet?"

"No. I'm not looking forward to that conversation, either." Making up a quick excuse, I said, "You know him, with all those suggestive remarks. He's going to turn this on me, like it was my idea, and it certainly wasn't."

Remus gave me a knowing look that slightly annoyed me for some reason. "He hasn't been making those kinds of remarks lately, from what I've observed. It seems like he's cooled down on that approach, to me."

I raised a brow, glancing at the apparently all-knowing Remus Lupin. "Approach on what?"

He just smiled, not answering, and just walked on.

We walked through the dark and dank corridors, keeping a lookout for any troublemakers, out after curfew. We found a couple of Slytherin sixth years, doing something, we assumed, very inappropriate in a broom closet, who – when we barged in – exclaimed for us to get our own room. Remus and I had a good laugh and told them to beat it after showing them Remus's shiny prefect badge.

I kept hoping that no fourth year idiots would detonate any dungbombs as we turned every corner. I voiced my concerns to Remus, who just laughed at me. "I'm serious, Remus. Lily wouldn't lie about a thing like…. What's that smell?" I asked, suddenly stopping and sticking my arm out to stop him, as well.

"Very funny, Jenyse. You can stop overreacting, now."

I glowered at him. "I am not overreacting. Look." I pointed sharply at a black ball on the floor, next to a snoring suit of armor.

"Alright, so you're right. Merlin, it reeks," he said, putting his arm over his nose.

With my hand holding part of my cloak up to block my own nose, I ordered, "Get rid of it."

He looked back at me, almost outraged. "Me? Why me?"

"Hey, you're the one with the fancy prefect badge," I defended. "I don't think I'm authorized to even touch it, Mr. Lupin." I tried not to laugh at his repulsed expression, but couldn't hold it in. "Go on. Don't worry. I'm right here giving moral support."

He glared at me, before creeping towards the revolting toy with his wand pointed at it. "I don't know what to do!"

I fought back the urge to gag from the horrid smell and rolled my eyes. "Did you learn nothing in yesterday's Transfiguration class?"

"Oh, right. Conjuring spell. Wait. What?"

"Try the opposite, Remus!" I wanted to hit him for taking forever.

"Oh, right. Vanishing spell." Finally, Remus managed to vanish the dungbomb, but it didn't help with the smell, much. "Ugh, that's nauseating. Come on. Let's go." He grabbed my hand and we rushed down the hall to escape the stench. "Aw, great. Now I smell like dung," he said, sniffing at the arm of his cloak.

In the matter of a mere millisecond, I was doubled over, shaking with laughter and holding myself up by holding onto Remus's arm.

"What?" Remus demanded, befuddled by my sudden outburst.

Once I calmed down enough to speak, even if broken in between laughs, I managed to get out, "You smell…like _doodie_…on _dungeon duty_!"

~*~

I inhaled the aroma radiating off of the hot coffee, filled to the brim of the big mug I held to my lips. I sipped it, savoring the taste and enjoying the sensation of its warmth going down my throat and spreading to the rest of my body. I all but moaned into the mug, never getting tired of this feeling.

Naturally, this very special and intimate moment between me and what I considered an extension of my soul was ruined when a certain patient of mine barged into the room, making me jump and my coffee spill a little over the rim.

"Merlin, you could at least have the decency to knock," I reprimanded him, wishing for a napkin – which appeared on the coffee table in front of me. I grabbed it and attempted to wipe the dark liquid off of my jeans.

Ian kicked the door closed, before making his way over to the couch I sat on. "Oh, I am so sorry for interrupting your precious moment with an edible, inanimate liquid," he said sarcastically, as he plopped down, almost making my coffee spill again. He sat slightly sideways, his back leaning half against the back of the couch and half against the couch's arm, with his arm draped across the back.

Disgruntled and giving up on the stain on my jeans, I set my mug on the coffee table. "Alright. Let's do this," I said, picking up today's checkup list.

I caught him smirking and hit him upside the head, as I got up to sit on the coffee table to face him.

"Hey! Brain damage!" he exclaimed, laughing and fixing his hair.

I scoffed. "It's been nearly three months. I think you're fine. Pulse," I ordered curtly, while picking up my wand.

He made a show of sighing heavily, and then placed two of his fingers on his neck. After feeling around a bit, he gave a nod, saying, "Got it."

I replaced his fingers with my wand, said the incantation, counted for sixty seconds, and then tapped the spot on the parchment, next to the first task, where his resting heart rate appeared. Moving on, I started the next task. I picked up the set of cards – on which the pictures changed each week – and held one up, showing him for one second, before turning it back around. "Picture on the right?"

"Blue book."

I held up the next one and then asked, "Colors from right to left."

"Uhh, black, green…purple, red?"

"Yep…. Middle, left, right?"

"A dog, a chair, and a pie…which I could really go for right now. Mmm," he said, evidently fantasizing.

I chuckled, putting the cards away and recording the results. "You just had pie on Wednesday night, as you do on _every_ Wednesday night."

He shrugged as he rolled his sleeves up to his elbows. "What can I say?... Love me some pie."

I laughed again, shaking my head at his foolishness. I tested his blood sugar with another incantation and tested his reflexes, recording both on the checkup list. Second to last on the list was my favorite part, since all I had to do was write his answers to the questions provided – not to mention getting the chance to innocently pry into his weaknesses.

"Mr. Hayes," I began.

"Yes, Nurse Baccari?"

I shot him a look at which he just smiled innocently. "Any trouble sleeping?"

"Well, that depends on what you mean. You see– OW!" he exclaimed, though laughing, when I hit his leg. "Isn't it illegal for a nurse to inflict pain on a patient, unless they're giving a shot?"

"Luckily, I'm no nurse. Answer the question, please…for _real_," I commanded him, my quill hovering over the parchment.

He sighed, replying, "Yes, I have had a little trouble sleeping. I, personally, don't think it's that big of a deal. I blame the stress of homework at the age of twenty."

I rolled my eyes at his excuse, which he used quite often as the start of a rant about how unfair it was that he was still in school at his age. I wrote his response down, not including his complaint. "Any trouble paying attention? Oh, wait. I can answer this one myself."

"Ha-ha. Very funny," he said dryly, making a childish face at me, which I gladly returned. "Alright, so I have a bit of trouble. But my _minor_ brain damage is not to blame. It's not my fault that I have a very pretty nurse in every single one of my classes, which is _quite_ distracting, I tell you."

I ignored his comments and my slight blush and just wrote. "Trouble eating? Stupid question." Without waiting for an answer, I wrote 'Never' on the page. "Any physical problems or pains?"

"Again, it depends–"

"_Okay_, I need to stop asking these questions."

Ian laughed at me and assured me that no, he did not have any medically physical problems.

I finished writing, and then pulled out the potions that he needed to take, handing him one vial after another, as he quickly downed each of them with a grimace upon his face. When he finished, I handed him a mug of coffee of his own, which he downed as well. I watched him as he chugged it, appalled at his mistreatment of the liquid.

"What?" he asked when he saw my expression.

"If you don't feel the need to cherish every sip of it, you're not drinking it right," I told him seriously. I wasn't one to take lightly to people who didn't appreciate what they were eating or drinking, especially if it was coffee.

Ian set his mug down, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "You realize that coffee isn't exactly the best thing for a person, what with the jitters, growth stunting, yellow teeth," he quipped. "Oh, and not to mention…the tendering of certain…" his eyes flashed downward, unmistakably to my chest, "parts."

My eyes grew wide as I scooted backwards to put more space between us, while covering my chest by crossing my arms over it.

A wicked smile grew across Ian's lips as he leaned forward even more, cheekily saying, "I'd be more than willing to help you check."

Finally getting over the shock over what he had just said, I reached out and pushed his head backwards, causing him to go back to leaning on the back of the couch. "In your dreams, Hayes."

"How'd you know?"

Faking repulsion, just to cover up the definite reddening of my face and maybe a little attraction – No! Amusement! – I grabbed my stuff and went to leave.

"No!" Ian called, chortling. He rushed after me and grabbed my wrist before I got to the door. "Don't leave."

"The checkup's over."

"I'm aware." He turned me around to face him. "That doesn't mean we can't just stay and hang out. It's Friday night and you might have James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter to go back to, but I'll just be forced to sit on my bed, reading Quidditch magazines, like a chump." He squeezed my hand, saying, "Please stay," desperately.

My eyes rolled at his puppy dog eyes and dramatic begging. "Fine," I gave in, letting him pull me back to the couch.

"Oh, thank Merlin," he said, as we sank down into the couch. "And here's another cup of coffee, on me." He winked with his ever-so-familiar crooked smile.

I chuckled at his antics and took the mug from him. After taking a nice, long sniff and sip, I pulled my legs under me, faced him, and said, "Sooo…?"

"Sooo," he imitated me. "What's new?"

"My growing hatred for you."

"Nice," he drawled. "How's Healer B.?"

I smiled at his nickname for my father, but it quickly faded as I remembered the letter I had received earlier in the week. I still hadn't done what my father asked – to invite Ian over for the holidays. I hadn't built up the courage to do so, yet. Pushing it aside, once again, I replied, "Uhh, he's good. From his letters, I can tell that he's _just_ putting up with my mother. Apparently, she's going through menopause and the Healer is not enjoying it very much."

Ian laughed. "I bet. And how's the new kid?"

"You mean the owl my mum got? She named him Jonah. Figures…her and her 'J' names. It's better than Jethro, I suppose, though," I admitted.

His eyebrows went up at this. "Jethro? Jenyse, I was talking about the baby. What was her name again? Your brother's kid?"

Well, I felt dumb. "Oh, heh. Sorry. Her name's Jaylyn; Jayden's and Maddy's baby. She's good, apparently. Still alive, which is always a good sign, when Jayden's involved," I joked.

He smiled at this and took another sip of his coffee. "I love kids," he said suddenly.

This, for some reason, did _and_ didn't shock me. Thinking about all of his inappropriate and idiotic remarks and jokes, I would never see him liking kids, but taking into account his more – shall I say – innocent and honest side, I supposed I could see it. Nonetheless, his confession made me curious to see him with a child. I smiled and concurred, "Same. At least up to before they get to the bratty stage. Babies are my favorite. They're so tiny and smell so good."

"Mmm, I know what you mean," he said.

There was a moment of a comfortable silence between us as we just sat and sipped our coffee, enjoying one another's company.

"Hey," he said, finally breaking the silence, his tone serious, making me look at him. "You know how I wanted to be a Pro Quidditch player?"

My stomach clenched as I realized how wrong it seemed to me. Though Alec had once said he had once wanted to be a Pro Quidditch player, he had changed his mind. I felt guilty, knowing that comparing Alec and Ian with each other was always a bad idea, but couldn't help it sometimes. Somehow, their similarities – though hurtful reminders – comforted me. Their differences, on the other hand, worried me. I finally recovered enough to answer with a simple, "Mmhmm," before hiding behind my coffee again.

"Well," he started thoughtfully, "I've been thinking. As much as I would love to do that, in the back of mind, I just know that I won't be picked up, because of the whole coma and brain damage thing."

I nodded, waiting on bated breath for him to just spit out what he was going on about.

"And, after meeting your dad and learning what he does and having to have all these checkups every week…I think it'd be cool to become a Healer."

A rush of an odd sense of relief and feeling of home overtook me. I felt the corners of my lips tug, and I gave in, letting out a wide smile. My eyes met his familiar hazel-green, which I held, as, with a newfound confidence, I asked, "Do you want to go and stay at my house with me and the other guys over the Easter break?"

His seriously sincere features were over taken by a stunning crooked grin. "I thought you'd never ask."

~*~

**A/N: hola! so, what do you think? tell me in a review! comments, suggestions, **_**favorite parts**_** (you should know by now that they're my favorite!) are all very appreciated. and i respond to all reviews, too! thanks again, for reading! now go on and review! the box is right there! thanks thanks thanks! adios!**

~ Danica


	9. I could never hurt that pretty face

**A/N: Oh, hey! An update from Danica! What a surprise! It only took her 7 days less than 5 months. …Oops. Again. So, you may be angry with me for taking so long, but to those of you who are, I say to you: Have you ever taken AP Biology with a clinically insane man as your teacher? If not, then you probably wouldn't understand…**

**Anyways, I thank you so so much for coming back to read the 9th chapter of my sequel! You're totally awesome!**

**And thanks to Molly Raesly for helping loads with this chapter, as she does with every one! You helped me to see produce in a whole new and exciting way. =D**

**Shout-out to Amanda, whose birthday is on Feb. 2nd! Happy early birthday! Sorry, but I realized the title "Amanda is Awesome" didn't quite suit this chapter.**

**Hey, remember the time I said that chapter 7 was a monster? Well, this chapter is its mother at 13,211 words. Never again.**

**Well, that's all from me. Happy reading!**

* * *

Chapter 9: "I could never hurt that pretty face of yours."

"Jenyse."

I groaned, still half asleep, not wanting to wake up. If I wasn't waking up on my own accord, I knew that it was way too early to be up and about during break, and I was determined to ignore the voice alluring me back into consciousness. I turned onto my other side, pulling my comforter up, so that it completely covered my head. I buried my face deeper into my pillow, inhaling the scent of fresh laundered sheets. I briefly mentally thanked my mother for washing them before I got home, before relaxing my whole body, again.

"Jeny-yse."

I continued to ignore the voice, thinking thoughts that would help me fall back asleep. Flying on a broom. Driving really fast. Smelling freshly baked cookies. Listening to my favorite artist singing me a lullaby.

Unfortunately, just when I was about to fall back into a sweet slumber, my sheets were ripped off of me, and I felt a tug at my arm.

"Jenyse, wakey wakey. It's time to get up, love. The coffee awaits you," James said, in a tempting tone.

Now that was just cruel. Trying to get me out of bed with coffee as bait? So very cruel. "Not fair," I grumbled, with an attempt to suppress my desire for the warm liquid. With my eyes still closed, I tugged back forcefully on the arm that was pulling mine, causing James to fall onto my bed, so that he sat next to my head. I scooted up a bit so that I could rest my head on his lap.

"Jenyse, I know you want me, but I'm a taken man."

"Shh," I shushed him, slowly losing consciousness again.

"No, Sylly, don't go back to sleep," James urged, lightly shaking me, as he felt me relaxing. "Sleep is for the weak! Come on. Time to get up and face the world like a brave little Gryffindor. It's 10:30. Your mum said we have to go grocery shopping and get decorations for Sunday."

I groaned again, remembering what I was doing home. Easter break: one of the craziest times in this house. My family – especially my dad – took it way too seriously, throwing a huge party in the yard, setting up an Easter egg hunt for the kids, planning a bunch of stupid, but fun, games. It took a lot of preparation for just one day, but in the end, it was always worth it.

Knowing that I really did have to get up, I finally opened my eyes and looked up at James from my head's position on his leg. "Do we _have_ to?" I whined, still stalling to get off of my incredibly comfortable bed that I missed so very much.

James sighed at my childishness. "Yes, Jenyse, we have to. What's the problem, anyway?" he asked, ruffling up my hair – which I was sure already looked ridiculous without his help. "All of us always have a blast going food shopping together. Remember last summer's cart race incident? We're not _really_ banned from that place, are we?"

I chuckled, reminiscing. "Yeah, I know, but I'm ti-ired," I complained, dragging the word out into two syllables. I closed my eyes again, longing for more sleep.

"No! Jenyse! Don't go back to sleep!" James begged desperately, shaking me again. "Everyone's waiting downstairs! Don't you want to drive your baby?"

"Jeneesy! I'm sorry I wasn't here last night to welcome you home! I had to work twenty-four hours at the hospital last night. We're down to just two doctors in my unit, and work hours have been insane. I was lucky enough to get off on Easter, which is great, but I've been having to make up for it. Are you still not up, yet? It's past 10:30...Aaaand, there's a boy in your bed."

At hearing this, my eyes shot back open in terror. My father, Healer Baccari, just found me with a boy in my bed.

Brilliant.

Granted we clearly weren't doing anything to be frowned upon, but despite that, I shot up, accidentally knocking my head on James's chin, getting a pained grunt out of him, and quickly rolled off of the bed. I fixed my shirt and rolled up plaid pajama pants quickly, making sure it didn't look like anything inappropriate was going on on that bed. "Hey, daddy!" I squeaked.

"Jenyse, why is there a boy in your bed?"

"What? A boy? Oh, would you look at that; you're right," I sputtered nervously. I grabbed one of my pillows and hit James in the head with it. "James! What do you think you're doing in my bed?" I found that in improvising, shoving the blame on someone else was very useful.

"Wha–! I–! No, we–!" he stuttered, jumping off of the bed, as well. Never have I ever seen James's hand fly that fast to his hair. Not even when the action was caused by something related to Lily. Poor James, about to face the wrath of Papa Baccari. He let out a nervous laugh. "Heyyy, Mr. Baccari! How's it going?"

"James, what were you doing in my daughter's bed with my baby girl?" my father asked, very calmly, in that terrifying "angry dad" sort of way.

"Well…I…I was more _on_ it than actually _in_ it – heh – but, uh…" James froze, staring desperately at me for help. "Jenyse?" Talk about a deer – well, in this case, more specifically, a stag – in the headlights.

I sighed and turned to my very protective father. "Dad, we weren't doing anything. James just came in to wake me up. I didn't want to get up yet, so I pulled him down and he sat. We were just talking. That's it. Come on, Dad, it's _James_."

He tore his dagger eyes off of James to look at me, and then back to James. He then shrugged, cooling off, obviously believing me and relaxing at my reassurance, and pulled me in for a big hug, kissing the top of my head. "Hey, Jeneesy! I missed you!"

I returned the hug eagerly, silently laughing at the sound of the relieved sigh coming out of James from the other side of the bed. "I missed you too, Dad," I said as I stepped back.

He smiled down at me before turning to James, who practically jumped at the eye-contact. "Hello, James," he greeted, sticking out his hand for James to shake. "Sorry for the misunderstanding. You know I trust you both. She's just my little girl. I've got to protect her."

I hit his arm, making a face at his calling me a "little girl." I was only two years younger than Jace, at 18-years-old. I sighed and rolled my eyes, thinking, _"Dads."_

James took his hand bashfully, shaking it. "No problem, Mr. B. I understand. Me and the other guys would curse any guy who looked at Jenyse, too. Thanks for inviting us all over, by the way. I really appreciate it. I love coming over for Easter. No place I'd rather be."

"Good! Well, I'm off to go change so that I can do some work in the yard for Sunday." He turned and pointed at me. "Your mum said to tell you to get ready. The boys are waiting for you downstairs."

"Yeah, yeah," I replied, disgruntled at my chances of getting a bit more sleep becoming slimmer and slimmer.

My dad smiled and gave me another kiss on the forehead. "See you later, kids." Just as he was about to close the door behind him, he added, "Oh, and Jenyse? When Mum tells you to cut back on the sugar in whatever you cook…don't listen to her. I'm fine and as healthy as can be."

I laughed, assuring him that I would, and he left. "Ugh," I grumbled, falling back onto my bed.

"Jenyse!" James protested.

"My mother _would_ pick you to wake me up," I said, throwing him a look. "If Sirius had come up, _he_ would've given in and let me sleep. He probably would've even cuddled with me."

James scoffed, smothering my face with my own pillow. "Yeah, and imagine your dad walking in on _that_."

I threw the pillow off of my face and scowled, knowing he had a point.

"Besides," he continued, moving to my side of the bed to grab my hands and pull me up, "he's been busy all morning, schmoozing up your mum."

"Oh, gross. That boy is seriously injured in the head." I let him pull me off of my bed and push me towards the bathroom that my sister and I shared.

"Don't I know it. Now, go get ready, while I go find your sister," he said, winking suggestively before he closed the bathroom door in my face.

"You disgust me!" I called after him through the door, getting a laugh in response. Though I knew James would never pull a Sirius and talk up my sister, I was momentarily glad that she was at her boyfriend David's house until Friday night.

I heaved a sigh and locked the two doors that allowed access to the bathroom from my room and Jace's room. I went to my counter, looking at my reflection in the mirror as I took off the necklace and all of the bracelets I couldn't get wet in the shower. There was a moment of sadness when I went to take off the ring that Travis had given me for Christmas and I realized it wasn't on my finger, but in my dresser back at Hogwarts (I had left it at school so that I could have a peaceful Easter break without any sad reminders about Travis's and my still messed up relationship – so much for that). After briefly glaring at my bare finger, I undressed, got in the shower, and took my time bathing myself.

When I finished, I threw on some clothes, dried my hair with my wand, letting my waves fall freely around my face, and made my way downstairs.

"Sheesh, Jenyse, it's about time," my lovely mother announced as I walked into the kitchen. She was washing some dishes with Sirius next to her, leaning casually against the counter.

Luckily our kitchen was sort of large – imagine my mother, me, and four large teenage boys all cramped in a tiny kitchen. That would not be a very pretty sight.

"Good morning to you too, Mum," I said, giving her a kiss on the cheek, at the same time pushing Sirius away from her with my hip – receiving an indignant, "Hey!" as he took a seat next to Peter. "It was really all James's fault that I didn't wake up right away. He is a _horrible_ waker-upper." I winked at James's appalled expression.

My mother wasn't fooled; she'd known me too long. "Don't worry James, I am well aware that my daughter is the most stubborn person on the planet in the mornings," she assured James, who grinned and stuck his tongue out at me. "There's a trick to it, you see. To waking this girl up, I mean." She jabbed her thumb at me over her shoulder. "I'll show you later."

I directed my own stuck-out tongue toward both her and James, and headed to the kitchen table to sit next to Remus. My favorite mug that had the word "coffee" written all over it in different languages was waiting for me on the table, along with the coffee pot. "Mmm." I filled my mug all the way to the brim before bringing it up to my lips and inhaling.

"You are so incredibly odd," Sirius told me.

I looked up to see everyone in the room staring at me. Did no one in this world know how to drink and appreciate a cup of coffee? I leaned back in my chair, holding my mug closer, protectively. "Shush." Ignoring their looks, I took a sip, loving the feeling that the warm liquid gave me as it went down.

"Is she down yet?"

"Whoa! Jenyse, are you alright?" everyone asked, as Remus patted my back.

I had just choked and sputtered on my – all of a sudden very hot – coffee and was coughing loudly and uncontrollably. I set my mug down on the table so that I wouldn't spill it and covered my mouth as I continued to hack up my lungs.

"Jenyse, sweetie, are you okay?" my mum asked, rushing over with her still soapy hands.

I coughed a few more times and cleared my throat, before saying, "Yeah. Hot," I said, pointing at my coffee.

Of course, that wasn't the real reason why I was just choking to death. It wasn't even close. Just as I was swallowing my first gulp, a certain someone who I had completely forgotten had come home with me and the Marauders just yesterday, walked into the room, asking about my presence. Dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt that read, "RECIPE FOR A HUMAN BEING: JUST ADD COFFEE" – how ironic – Ian Hayes smirked at my answer, looking as though he knew I was bluffing.

When I was finally able to take my shocked eyes off of him, I looked around at the other five concerned faces, forcing a reassuring smile. "Guys, I'm fine. No worries here. I'm breathing perfectly." Also a lie. But not due to Ian Hayes, oh, no sir.

Everyone seemed to accept my excuse and go back to their previous conversations and tasks.

As friendly as I was with him, I was still incredibly uncomfortable with the fact that Ian Hayes was in my house and staying until the end of break.

I looked out the back door to avoid any awkwardness and saw my dad cleaning off the patio of any twigs. Unfortunately, though I was able to avoid any eye-contact, I wasn't able to block out the conversations around me. Well, I could ignore the boys' bantering over who was going to win musical chairs this year, but the other conversation in the room seemed to just float right into my ears.

"So, Ian, how are you handling being in school again?"

"Alright, I suppose. I don't actually feel as though I missed out on any of it, except for that month after I woke up. You don't exactly feel time pass when you're in a coma," he answered, plopping down on a stool and leaning over the island. "Your home is lovely, by the way, Mrs. Baccari."

"Oh, thank you, dear!" my mother replied, delighted, giving him a smile.

And, we've got another charmer. Lovely.

Without looking at him, I reached for my coffee, again, and took a hasty swig.

"I'm so glad that you came! When Julian told me that he had asked Nees to invite you, I was thrilled!" she said, with wide hand movements, sending soap flying everywhere.

"Of course I just had to come. I just couldn't say 'no' when Jenyse practically _begged_ me to come with her and the guys. I hope her knees aren't sore from all that kneeling," Ian said cheekily.

Unable to keep up the pretense of ignoring their conversation any longer, my eyes shot up, catching his hazel-greens, and I glared. Really? He had to say that to my mother? This was my house. I was not supposed to be ridiculed in my own house by mere outsiders.

Ian simply grinned back, clearly enjoying.

Before my mother could answer back, I decided that we had spent way too much time in that kitchen. I got up, bringing my coffee with me and headed to a cupboard to get a travel mug. With much skill, I transferred the liquid, without spilling a drop, and then closed the lid on top.

"Who's ready for some shopping?"

"Finally!" Sirius said, as he and the other guys jumped up. "I can't wait to get my hands on those carts!"

After rummaging around for my keys in one of the drawers, I went to Sirius and grabbed his face with both of my hands. Before giving him a not-so-light tap on the cheek, I said, "As much as I love your soul to pieces, Sirius Black, you are not touching a single cart, unless you want to ride the whole way home on the roof of the car, in nothing but your socks and your little red boxers that say, 'Want to see my broomstick?'"

* * *

Grocery shopping with the Marauders was one of the most enjoyable things. That is, if they were being good boys and not ramming other shoppers with carts. Luckily, with the help of Remus, I managed to convince James, Sirius, and Peter to keep away from the cart.

Ian must have thought we were utterly bonkers from the moment we got into my car. It was a little awkward having five other people in the Impala, instead of four, because James needed to sit in the middle seat in the front, between Remus and me, making it quite crowded. The moment I turned on my baby that I missed oh so very much, Jason Stone's angelic voice started pouring out of the speakers, causing Ian to groan and me to laugh in glee at his face in the rearview mirror.

When we got to the store, we all got out – Sirius yelling, "LAND!" as he toppled out of the car. Alright, so _maybe_ I was going a tad over the speed limit, but there really was no need for the overreaction – and entered the massive building filled with an endless amount of rows of shelves crammed with necessities and food. As always, I felt like a mother of four – but this time five – as we walked through the aisles, me pushing the cart and the boys following like little ducks.

"So, what's on the list?" Peter asked excitedly.

"Chocolate? Is chocolate on the list? Oh, there it is. We'll take care of that, Jenyse. Let's go, Prongs," Remus said, not giving me a chance to protest.

"Make sure it's semi-sweet, Remus!" I called after him, as he dragged James along.

"Pete and I will get the chips and dip!" Sirius proposed, already rushing away. "See ya!"

"No carts!"

Sirius waved his hand dismissively at me while he and Peter walked on and disappeared, turning into an aisle.

And, I was ditched. Brilliant. So much for an enjoyable day of grocery shopping with the Marauders. Trying to take this as a good thing, since I could focus on what I was supposed to get rather than spending my time, smacking the boys' hands away from all the junk they always tried to sneak into the cart, I set off for the produce section. I stopped suddenly, jumping when I heard my name.

"Oi! Jenyse! This isn't even Hogwarts, and you're taking off without me, like you do after every single class."

I turned back, my face growing red. I had completely forgotten that Ian was with us. Again. What was wrong with me today? "Sorry, Ian. I'm just not used to having a fifth child to babysit," I teased.

Ian laughed. "Merlin, I haven't been in a grocery store in years. And I don't mean the two years that I was in a coma." He was looking around in awe at all of the food and people bustling around.

I smiled sort of sadly. "Well, welcome to my humble abode," I said, and went to the tomatoes. Since I was young, attached to her leg as she bustled around the kitchen, my mum always taught me that true Italian cooks always made their tomato sauce from scratch for their pastas.

When seeing me pick out the good tomatoes and put a bunch in a plastic bag, Ian mocked me, saying, "Ahh, tomatoes. I never go anywhere without them." He grabbed one and tossed it up and down in his hand. "That way, when someone bores you, you just chuck one right at their nose." He made a show of pretending to throw it at a nonexistent person behind me.

I shot him a look, took the tomato out of his hand, examined it, and bagged it. "If you don't behave, I'll have to leave you at home the next time I go food shopping," I said jokingly, making use of the threat my mum always gave me, back when I was an impatient, whiny little girl.

"Well, I wouldn't want that, would I? You do have the abandoning thing down pat," he asserted, earning himself a hit on the arm.

Despite my warning, Ian kept up with the smart remarks about every food we stopped at. He liked lettuce, just to keep him regular; he liked carrots because he didn't want to be as blind as James, which would hinder his Quidditch skills – "Though I would look rather dashing in glasses, don't you think?" –; he liked green apples because, "They rule!"; and he liked strawberries because he liked to watch pretty girls eat them – "You – I mean – we should eat them tonight at dinner!"

As indifferent as I tried to make myself appear, I was actually enjoying myself very much. His remarks, though idiotic, made me laugh inside, and occasionally outside, and his company was very well appreciated. But of course, I didn't show _too_ much of the fun I was having. His damaged brain could only take so much.

Rolling my eyes at the last jab he made at bananas – which I didn't allow him to finish saying – I parked the cart at the lemons.

"Ooh, lemons…"

Ignoring him, I picked a lemon up and sniffed it, closing my eyes at the wonderful scent. "Mmm." I opened my eyes to find Ian, who had suddenly stopped speaking, watching me with a strange look in his eyes. Embarrassed, I asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

The look in his eyes stayed as he shrugged and said, "I like watching you when you interact with certain foods. Like with your coffee or just now with that lemon. It makes me want to learn how to appreciate food the way you do. I find you very interesting to observe."

I completely ignored the memory of Ian's own spirit telling me the same thing months ago. After a bit of staring back and a quick decision, I offered him the lemon, ordering, "Here. Smell this."

Instead of taking the lemon out of my hand, he took hold of my wrist and held it so that the fruit in my grasp almost touched his nose. He took a big whiff and paused for a moment. "Yum. That's – that just smells delicious. I could make some…good lemonade with that lemon."

Laughing loudly, I hit him with the hand he wasn't holding.

"What?" he asked mock innocently, laughing himself and rubbing the spot on his chest that I hit.

"You're ridiculous," I told him, my lips giving in a little and twitching upward. I moved the lemon back to my nose and inhaled the scent again, thinking of how to describe the way I took it in. The way the aroma surrounded me, pleasuring my nose with its overwhelmingly strong, yet sweet scent. The way the smell traveled up my nose and seemed to linger there for forever. The way a message from my nose navigated its way through my brain, on its way to my taste buds, allowing me to practically taste the fruit just by smelling it.

Moving closer to me, instead of moving just my hand, Ian leaned in close to smell the fruit at the same time as me.

I froze, my eyes going to his, completely forgetting about the fruit. Our feet were practically touching and his hand was still holding my wrist. The only thing separating our faces was the lemon that we held.

He had closed his eyes, mimicking me, as he inhaled.

I watched as his eyebrows drew together, knowing it was because he still wasn't sure what he was supposed to be smelling. Had it not been for the lack of space between us that was causing my brain to go all fuzzy, I would have found it quite adorable.

His eyes opened and, for a brief moment, his expression was dubious, until he realized how close we really were. His lips were partly open, from what he was about to voice but stopped. The gold flecks in his eyes were very clear from where I stood, and I could see every tan freckle on his nose.

I felt him slowly lower our hands with the lemon, his thumb making circles on the inside of my wrist. A voice in my head was yelling, "RETREAT! RETREAT!" but my body wouldn't listen.

"Oh, Harold! Look at this! Such a cute couple! Why don't you look at me like that anymore?"

I blinked, turning to find a little old lady with her husband. What she said finally settled and functioned in my brain, making my eyes grow wide. "Oh, no! We–"

Ian cut me off, quickly putting his arm around my waist and pulling me to his side, saying, "Oh, thank you, Ma'am! You're just as sweet as my sweetie pie, here," he said in a completely overdone lovey-dovey voice, while cupping my face in his palm.

I fought the urge to narrow my eyes at him, sharply moving my head away from his hand and shooting a fake smile at the couple. What the bloody hell was he doing? What an idiot.

Gleefully, the lady cooed, "Oh, dearie, you are just too cute! Well, you two have a splendid day!" she said, ambling away with her husband trailing after her.

When they were out of earshot, I immediately moved out of Ian's grasp and hit him for the third time today. "You prat!"

Ian just laughed, grabbing my hands to assure that I wouldn't inflict any more pain on him. "Jenyse, the abuse is getting a tad out of hand. I did not do anything to merit that!"

I glared and momentarily stopped trying to get my hands out of his grasp. "'_Sweetie pie_?'" I shot at him, daring him to continue to play dumb.

He shrugged with a growing smile on his face. "What? I love pie. You know this."

I just shook my head, temporarily letting it go. I got my hands back, and after filling up a bag with lemons – making sure the one that caused the whole scene went into the bag – I continued to push the cart away from the now very unappealing produce section.

Ian called out my name, stopping me in my tracks. With a slight huff, I turned back to see him holding up two big melons, one in each hand, with a huge smirk on his lips. "Now, _these_ I know how to appreciate."

* * *

"Sirius!"

James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Ian, and I looked up from our Friday Game Night game of trying to build a card house with Exploding Snap cards.

Running towards us with her arms open wide was my niece Jondi. There was a look of absolute glee as she made her way to her – apparently – favorite person in the whole entire world. Oh, no, not her dear aunt, but one of her aunt's best friends. I felt so loved.

As she got closer, everyone in the room but Sirius yelled out, "Jondi, no! Watch out!" but we were too late. She had knocked over what we had of the card house, causing all of the cards to fall and explode on James and Peter. Luckily, Remus, Ian, and I managed to quickly whip out our wands and put out the small sparks with Aguamenti.

"Oops."

We all laughed at Jondi who had her hands over her mouth.

"It's alright, Jondi. No harm done!" James assured her, getting out his own wand to magically dry off his and Peter's pants.

"Yeah. James and I just look like we wet our pants, is all," Peter said in a cheery tone.

Jondi giggled then went back to her previous task. "Sirius!"

Sirius let the little girl tackle him to the floor, hugging her back. "Oof! Hey, Jondi girl! How's it going?" he asked, shaking her in his arms.

"Gooood! I missed you, Sirius!" she said, her arms around his neck.

Sirius sat them back up, brushing some of her pigtail out of his mouth. "I missed you, too! You're so big now! You should thank your Auntie Jenyse for letting me over again," he told her, standing her back up and nodding towards me.

She grinned and skipped over to me. "Hi, Auntie Neesy!"

I accepted her hug and kissed the top of her head. "Hey, Jonds! Oh, so, now you greet me? I see how it is. Sirius is more important to you than me, isn't he?" I accused, tickling her and making her wiggle out of my grasp.

She shrugged with a cute matter-of-fact expression. "I see you more than him, Auntie Neesy."

"Is that right?" I asked, amused. I ruffled up her bangs with a grin. "Go give the other boys hugs. I'm going to go say 'Hi' to your mum."

"Kay! Hi, Remus!"

I smiled, glad to hear her adorable voice again, as I got up and went to the foyer to find my mum, Alaina – Jarron's wife –, Jaysen – Jarron's and Alaina's younger kid –, and Jace. I smiled and greeted, "Hey, Alaina! Hey, Jaysen, buddy! Jace," giving them each hugs in turn.

"Hey, Jenyse! How are you?"

"I'm good, you?"

"Good, good. Did Jondi jump Sirius?" Alaina asked, obviously already knowing the answer, as she took off Jaysen's shoes.

"Yup. That girl is going to be such a heartbreaker," I joked. "Where's Jarron?"

"Your brother's coming later tonight. He's still at work," my mum informed me, as she and Jace took Alaina's bags to bring up to Jarron's old room. They were staying over until after Easter, since they lived about an hour away. Because of a Floo Network incident gone wrong when we were kids, Jarron refused to let his children go places using that particular form of transportation until they were older. Despite his traumatic experience, with our mum and both of Alaina's parents being Muggles, they weren't unaccustomed to driving automobiles.

Mum and Jace went upstairs while Alaina, Jaysen, and I went back into the family room to join the boys and Jondi.

Just as we walked in, Jondi ran up to me and pulled my arm down. I crouched down to her level and asked, "What's up, Jonds?"

"Who's that?" she whispered loudly, pointing at Ian, who – along with the other boys – was watching with amused looks.

I laughed, standing back up and holding her hand to take her over to Ian. "Jondi, this is Ian, my – uh – friend," I introduced him awkwardly. "Ian, this is my niece Jondi. This is Alaina, Jondi's mum and Jarron's wife, and –" I held my hand out to Jaysen, "come here, Jaysen – this is their son, Jaysen."

"Hey there, Jondi. I like your name. It's very pretty," he told her, smiling. And with that, he had won over my niece. After greeting Jaysen as well, Ian stood up to shake Alaina's hand. "Hi, it's nice to meet you."

"You too," Alaina replied with a smile. "Hey, guys! Sorry about Jondi, Sirius. She was talking about you the whole drive here."

"Mummy!"

Sirius's bark of a laugh was louder than any of the rest of us. "It's alright. I talk about her all the time, too," he said winking at Jondi, making her blush.

I rolled my eyes and exchanged "Oh, Sirius" looks with the other guys.

"Hello, everyone!" Jace said as she walked into the room with my mum.

The Marauders greeted her back, all of them getting up from the floor to give her hugs.

When we finally got Sirius off of her, Jace turned to Ian with a smile. "Hi, you probably don't remember me, but I'm Jace, Jenyse's sister. We went to Hogwarts together," she said offering him her hand.

This caught me entirely off-guard. I had completely forgotten about this fact. One of the daily clues that Alec had given me was that, back when he was at Hogwarts, he had been acquainted with my sister. I even still had the note in which he had written that particular fact somewhere in my trunk. Alec had assured me that he had no feelings for her – which was something I wasn't even worried about, since I knew that I would have heard about it from Jace back then – and that she had stopped talking to him well before his coma.

I felt weird as I watched Ian take my sister's hand and shake it.

"Right. Jace Baccari. I think I remember. Vaguely."

Sure. Of course he did. He would remember my sister, but not me. I ignored the brief stab of pain and unwarranted betrayal, reminding myself that it wasn't his fault, and that this was Ian, not Alec.

"It's good to see you're well. And I heard about those weekly check-ups you have to get from my sister, here. My condolences."

I stuck my tongue out at her and pushed her out of my way, so that I could get to the couch and plop myself down next to Sirius and Jondi, who were still having an innocently flirty chat.

Ian chuckled a bit before saying, "Yeah, your dad actually just gave me a checkup this afternoon before he went to work. It was odd having Healer B. asking me questions instead of Jenyse. And it's not so bad. Jenyse is quite a good nurse." He shot me a wink over my sister's shoulder. "She even puts on this very fitting nurse outfit. You know, the short, tight, white dress and the cap with the red cross on it?"

Jace guffawed, shaking her head. "As much as I'd love to believe you, I couldn't possibly. I can't get that girl in a skirt other than her uniform, much less a dress." She looked at me pointedly.

I grinned sickly-sweet at her as I pulled Jaysen onto my lap to listen to the rambling story the little boy was trying to tell me. Surprisingly, I was actually able to pay attention to Jaysen and ignore Ian and Jace's conversation. For some reason, I was slightly comforted by the fact that their conversation involved me, rather than their days at Hogwarts together.

After a few "Oh yeah?"s and "Wow!"s from me to appease Jaysen and his superb storytelling, Jace announced,

"Hey, Nees, Jayden sent me an owl saying that he and Jarron were going out to some Muggle pub tonight. Want to come?"

I thought about whether or not I felt like getting out of my comfortable sweats and putting on a pair of constricting jeans. "Uhh, no. I think I'll just stay home and hang with my buddy Jaysen," I declined, giving the boy on my lap a squeeze.

"Alright. Boys? Any takers?"

"No, Sirius! Don't go!" Jondi exclaimed desperately.

We all chuckled, and Sirius said, "Looks like I'm spoken for. Sorry, Jace."

The other Marauders decided to stay with us, as well, and I suddenly stopped breathing when my sister voiced her next question.

"Ian? You up for it?"

Ian glanced at her, but then turned to catch my eye. "Um, no. Thanks. I think I'll just stay and relax here. Someone needs to help Jondi and Jaysen babysit these kids, right?" he joked, causing the Marauders to voice an indignant and simultaneous, "Hey!"

I let the air in my lungs out and smiled at Ian's joke. "Sorry, Jace. Looks like it's just you and the brothers. Mum, Alaina, you should go, too. We can take care of the kids."

My mum gave me a look, but Alaina asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah! We'll be fine."

"We'll give them tons of chocolate and sugar for when you come home," said James, receiving laughs from all of us.

"Alright, then! Thanks, guys!"

That settled, Jace and Alaina went upstairs to get ready and then, soon after, left the house.

Under the orders of my mother, the boys, the kids, and I spent our time filling the plastic Easter eggs that we got yesterday at the store with the candy we also bought. It was inevitable that we would eat much of the candy, rather than stuffing them into the eggs. Remus was the worst, though. He had to have eaten eight small bars of chocolate. I swore that boy was a woman in chronic menstrual condition.

Our bodies eventually crashed from the previous sugar rush and we all decided to call it a night. Sirius, Ian – who was now Jondi's new, second boy toy –, and I put Jondi and Jaysen to sleep in Jarron's old room. After helping the boys set up all of their sleeping spots on the floor and couches of the family room, I bid all of them goodnight and retired to my room upstairs.

* * *

"Hey, Neesy."

A strong hand came down on my arm and shook me, making me groan in my – now semi- – unconscious state.

"Psst. Neesy."

More shaking.

"Neesy, I'm home!"

Finally, I gave up on holding onto the miniature bit of mental relaxation and bliss I still had left, just as a heavy male body slammed into me, crushing me into my mattress. My eyebrows drew together in pain and I opened my eyes for a brief moment to see the current darkness of my room, before shutting them once again. "Oof! Jarron!" I whisper-yelled at him as I shoved him off of me. I probably would have been more eager to see him, had it not been the middle of the night.

"Hey, Neesy!" Jarron greeted from where I felt him lying next to me. "How are you?"

"Unconscious – OW!"

Jarron let out a loud laugh at what he had just done.

"What the bloody hell did you just slap me for?"

My brother just kept on with his hysterics, not bothering to provide me with an answer or excuse. "Man, I'm tired. Can I just sleep here?"

"No," I replied, pulling my comforter up so that it covered my just-slapped face.

"Why not?"

"You smell like alcohol."

"No I don't."

"Mmhmm."

Jarron laughed again and kissed my forehead before getting up and leaving my room, but not before whispering a fleeting, "Night, Nees."

The last thought I had before I fell back into my peaceful slumber was an inquiry of how I could possibly be related to such a moronic git.

* * *

The next morning, I got up – thankfully this time without help from anyone else –, brushed my teeth, made sure I looked relatively decent, and then headed downstairs. It was the day before Easter, and as tradition, we dyed and painted Easter eggs with the kids. As per usual, I was the last to wake up. Everyone was in the kitchen, in the middle of eating breakfast when I entered.

I greeted everyone a "good morning" and poured myself a cup of coffee. On my way to the empty seat between Ian and Jace, I connected my palm with Jarron's face in a semi-swift motion.

"Oi! Mum! Did you see that? She just smacked me!" Jarron exclaimed to the sound of laughter, as he rubbed his cheek.

"Jenyse Syl!"

"What, Mum? That was just payback from when he jumped on me in the middle of the night and smacked me!" I defended myself, sinking into my chair.

"Oh, well, then, that's fine," Mum said distractedly, returning to the dye she was making with Alaina.

I grinned at a scowling Jarron and reciprocated my sister's high five. "So, where's Jayden? I want to see my baby niece," I said, grabbing a piece of toast and accepting the butter that Ian passed me. "Sorry," I muttered sheepishly, chancing a glance at the twitch of a smirk of Ian, whose leg mine had accidentally brushed against as I repositioned it, so that I was sitting on it. I glared briefly at the suspicious look Sirius was sending me from the other side of the table.

"They're coming later," Jace informed me, bringing me back to the conversation. "Apparently, we're having a big family dinner tonight. Twenty courses, wine, the whole shebang." She waved her fork around as she spoke offhandedly.

I took the fork from out of her hand and helped myself to some of the eggs on her plate. "Twenty courses, huh? And who, might I ask, is making all this food?" I questioned, knowing full well the answer.

"Don't worry, Jenyse. We'll all pitch in," James offered around his mouthful of eggs.

"Yeah," Ian agreed, turning to me. "James can be your sous-chef, Peter can stir, Remus can dice, Sirius will wash the dishes, and I'll be your taste-tester. Sounds like a pretty good plan to me. I'll even help lick the spoons."

I chuckled, allowing myself to enjoy a momentary mental image of Ian licking off spoons.

When the dye was ready and the eggs were hard-boiled, we cleared the table and set up our painting stations.

Egg painting this year was quite enjoyable. For one, Jondi and Jaysen were finally both old enough to fully enjoy and participate in the activity, with the help of their parents. Their eggs were adorably painted; Jondi's covered in flowers and Jaysen's in various colored lines and spots and a random broomstick drawn by Jarron on his son's request. Jace and I stuck to the traditional Easter colors on our eggs, painting stripes and polka dots, with no real design. Peter's looked similar to Jaysen's, Remus had drawn what looked like Dr. Filibuster's Fireworks, Sirius had outdone himself in charming up my mother by writing "Mama Baccari" in perfect script, and James had painted his favorite doodle of a Golden Snitch inscribed with "J.P. & L.E."

My personal favorite, though, was Ian's egg. When he showed it to me from across the table, he smirked as he held it up. On it was a red nurse cross, three Quidditch goal posts, a cup of coffee, a few music notes, and a lemon.

I was oddly flattered when I saw that most of the symbols he had painted were inside jokes between him and me.

* * *

After our arts and craft time, the day went without any event, up until when I was alone in the kitchen with my mother, preparing for dinner, while everyone else was relaxing around the house or outside.

As I was draining out the water from the pot of linguine, my mum, who was peeling the peaches and apples for the cobbler we were making for dessert, suddenly changed the subject from our conversation on who exactly was coming over for the festivities tomorrow.

"So, Ian seems like a nice boy."

I jumped at the loud noise of the pot I was previously holding falling into the sink. I moved my eyes away from the scene of Ian pushing Jaysen on the back yard swing set that I was watching through the kitchen window of which I was in front. Relieved that none of the pasta had fallen out, but still flustered at the subject that had been brought up, I picked the pot up and set it on the counter before turning around to face my mother.

"I'm glad that you brought him home with you, Jenyse."

"Well, I really didn't have a choice. Dad would have killed me if I hadn't."

My mum shot me a knowing look. "Despite your complaining of taking orders, you seem to be enjoying his presence."

I shrugged, trying to remain nonchalant, even though I was internally anxious about why she had brought the subject of the bane of my existence up. "He's a friend," I insisted as I dumped the linguini into a big bowl.

"A friend? Is that all?" she asked with a peculiar smile that I wasn't too fond of at the moment.

I stopped mixing the olive oil, ground pepper, garlic, basil, and tomatoes into the pasta and leaned back on the counter to look at my apparently all-knowing mother. "Yes. That is all. He is my friend. I'm allowed to have friends of the male persuasion, Mum. I've got four other ones in the back yard, too." Alright, so maybe I was getting unnecessarily touchy, but all of the assumptions that Ian and I had a thing, from both my mum and Sirius, were getting a bit annoying.

She stopped her work on the food, to turn to me, as well. "Jenyse, I know how you act around all of your male friends. I've seen you around Sirius, James, Remus, Peter, and Travis loads of times."

I looked away guiltily at the last name mentioned.

She pointed at me with the knife in her hand. "You're different around this boy."

Stumped, I crossed my arms across my chest as I watched as she turned back around to return to her cooking. She had only seen me with Ian for three days. How could she possibly have noticed a difference in my behavior around him?

"And besides," she continued, moving to the stove to dump the two fruits into separate pots of sugar and lemon juice, "– here, stir that one – I don't see why it would be so bad if the two of you got together. He's a handsome boy, he's sweet…and he seems to like you."

I paused, mid-stir. What was she going on about? How could she possibly know that Ian Hayes had a liking to me – which he certainly did not –? "Are you talking about how he's such an excessive and shameless flirt? Because, if you are, then I'm pretty sure that on the same grounds, one could say that Sirius fancies you."

"Oh, rubbish," she waved the accusation away quickly. "You don't think–?"

I hit her arm with the back of my hand. "Mum! That's revolting!"

She expressed her amusement with a chortle at her youngest daughter. "I'm just joking, Jenyse. But that's beside the point. I really don't see what the problem is."

"Mum, aren't you, as my mother, supposed to be discouraging me from dating blokes?" I tried again at changing the subject.

"No, dear, that's your father. And anyway, it's quite clear that he approves of Ian. I haven't seen him be so buddy-buddy with another guy other than your Uncle Jack and Healer Garfield."

I rolled my eyes. My father would approve of Ian Hayes. Everyone approved of Ian Hayes. Everyone except me.

"But– Stop changing the subject, Jenyse. Humor me, please, on why it would be so dreadful if the two of you dated."

As the coward that I was, I simply shrugged and turned away, focusing on the stirring of the contents of the pot that was finally coming to a boil.

My mother sighed from next to me. "I don't know, Jenyse. I just feel as though there could be something between you two, but of course it's up to you. I just want my youngest daughter to be happy, is all – not that having a boy is the only way to be happy. I just think that it'd be nice."

It was my turn to sigh as I peered out the back window again. "Yeah, Mum, I know," I agreed. It absolutely would be nice to be happy, once again.

* * *

"Jaylyn!" I exclaimed in pure excitement, forgetting about the table I was currently setting with the boys and running up to my mum who was carrying the 3-month-old out onto the back patio – the only place we could fit the fourteen people, two kids, and one baby for dinner (Luckily, it was a very rare warm April night). "Hey, cutie! You are so big now!" I took my niece into my arms, giving her a kiss on her cheek. My heart swelled and I let out an, "Aww!" when she smiled back at me.

The boys crowded around me to meet the baby girl. I enjoyed watching each of them interact with Jaylyn in their own adorable way, each of them having their turn at giving her a kiss and telling her how cute she was or how much of a Baccari she looked like.

Eventually, after all of the excitement about finally seeing Jaylyn sort of died down, the table was set and we were ready to eat. Along with Jayden and his wife Maddy, Jace had brought her boyfriend David over, as well. Fortunately, my mother and I had made an incredible amount of food, including the linguine I made, lasagna, grilled chicken, meat and potato pie, baked potatoes, and bruschetta topped with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, not to mention the desserts.

"This is a _lot_ of food," Ian said to me in awe as he sat down across from me.

I couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face. I had to agree that it was a lot of food, but with my two brothers and the Marauders involved, it was cut down to a mere sixth of the amount on the table.

"Are you kidding? This will all be gone by the time dessert rolls around," Jayden assured him, already piling up his plate with food.

"Oh, I don't doubt it," Ian replied with amusement, shooting me a smile.

I returned the gesture and passed him the plate of bruschetta. In my own awe, I watched as Sirius's plate quickly became piled with food as high as the ceiling of the Great Hall. "Mum, I think we better go back in the kitchen and make double the amount of food we already made. Look at this," I told her, motioning to Sirius and James, whose plate was just as full.

Everyone laughed at their guilty expressions.

"Hey," Jarron called down the table in a mock-stern voice, "leave some food for my kids."

The two "tough, manly" Marauders blanched at my brother's fake underlying threat, before joining everyone else's laughs with their own hesitant chuckles.

Dinner was going well, despite the overload of people. Conversations were going smoothly and the food was delicious, if I did say so myself. It seemed as though everyone at the table agreed with me. The copious amount of red sauce all over Jondi's and Jaysen's mouths was proof that they couldn't get enough of the lasagna. Poor Jaylyn, stuck with just a bottle of milk. She was really missing out.

Jayden's prediction of the table being clear was absolutely correct. As one of the cooks, I was delighted, yet in wonderment of all of the empty plates.

After a bit of digestion and rest from chewing, I offered to bring out the dessert. Despite my insistence that I didn't need any help, Ian stood up, helped me grab everyone's dirty plates, and followed me into the kitchen.

"Don't need help, my arse," Ian uttered in disbelief. He set the dirty plates in the sink, on top of the ones I put in, and then walked around the island, inspecting all of the desserts.

I shrugged with a smile in his direction before getting some dessert plates from a shelf in one of the cabinets and small forks from a drawer. "It's not that much," I replied. I turned back around to see him staring at me with an eyebrow raised way high. I glanced at the counter that had peach and apple cobbler, cream filled cannolis, fruit flan, and blueberry scones. "Alright, so it's a bit much, but we can always serve the leftovers tomorrow during the party."

Ian chortled a bit before cooling down and asking, "You and your mother made all of this, and didn't make a single pie? What is this?" He joined me on my side of the counter. "Where are the knives?" He opened a few wrong drawers.

"You're that upset that you can't have pie for one night that you would threaten to kill me? With a knife?" I countered, falsely appalled at his violent ways.

He shook his head, chuckling to himself, as he took a step closer to me. "I was just going to cut the cobbler, Jenyse."

My mouth formed a silent O.

"Besides," he added, with a sarcastically dramatic look, while placing a hand on my cheek, "I could never hurt that pretty face of yours."

"Oh, you have no idea how much you saying that means to me…_sweetie pie_," I drawled. I distracted him from my other motives by stepping forward and looking up at him through my eyelashes. I took joy in seeing his Adam's apple go up and down from a sudden swallow. Satisfied by the feel of cannoli cream on my pointer finger, I took another step closer to him. "But, uhh," I continued slyly, "how about…now?" I bit my bottom lip to try to keep a straight face, but a sinister grin broke through.

Ian looked completely taken aback when he realized what I had done. His mouth opened wide in disbelief, and his other hand that wasn't still resting on my face went up to collect what was now on his nose. His eyes narrowed in on the substance on his finger. "You didn't."

"Oh, no," I assured him, licking the remaining dessert filling off of my finger, "I most certainly did."

"You–!" Ian started, his own corners of his lips creeping upwards.

The snigger-snort and booming of hysterical laughter I was about to let out got caught in my throat when I jumped at the sound of the back door opening. Seeing Jarron, I grabbed Ian's hand, threw it away from my face, and put as much space as possible between us, without being too suspicious about the situation. I chanced a peek at Ian, who had completely wiped off his nose and was now rubbing the back of his neck with the hand that had been on my cheek.

"Hey, guys…what's taking so long?" Jarron questioned hesitantly, eyeing the both of us. "Need some help in here?"

"No, Jarron, we're alright. Ian was just about to cut the cobbler. Thanks for the offer, though!" I rattled off nervously. "Just tell everyone to hold their hippogriffs and we'll be out in a sec."

My brother's eyes narrowed, knowing full well that something was up. He nodded slowly, muttering a low, "Suuure," before exiting the house.

Through the back door he left open, both Ian and I could hear Jarron announcing to the table, "They're cutting up the cobbler into pieces. Nees said it won't be long. Merlin, can't she have any _girl_ friends?"

I blushed, praying that his comment wouldn't open up a discussion about anything I didn't want talked about. Particularly absolutely anything regarding me.

"Sorry about him," I apologized to Ian, on behalf of my idiotic brother. "He can be a real git sometimes. Well, most of the time, really…" I opened up a drawer and pulled out a knife to hand to him, so that he could have the honor of cutting.

Ian shrugged, mid slice. "No biggie. Sirius and the others warned me about your brother being all protective. I don't blame him." He caught my eye and put on a certain lopsided smile for me. "Oh, and by the way? Be prepared for payback, Baccari."

I let him finish cutting the dessert into decent sized squares without saying anymore after accepting his challenge. We managed to bring out all four of the delectable desserts and safely set them on the table, to a round of applause and a few "Finally!"S.

Throughout dessert, in during temporary pauses of my chat with my sister-in-laws about how I was doing at Hogwarts and how the castle and teachers were the same or different, I caught bits from all of the other conversations going on around the table. Jayden and David were talking about what teams would be going to this year's Quidditch World Cup; Sirius was laughing at James, whose glasses had just been stolen by Jaylyn from her position on my mum's lap; Jarron was fretting to Jace about his daughter becoming too much of a flirt; Jondi and Jaysen were getting entertained by Peter's silly faces; and Remus was talking to my dad about whether chocolate actually had any healing properties.

Ian was included in the latter discussion. Though it was clear that he was listening intently and somewhat admiringly to his healer's very intelligent and well-educated medical responses, I could have sworn that he had glanced over at me numerous times, most often when I happened to be taking a bite of my dessert.

* * *

Easter. What a wonderful time, Easter. One could not imagine how exciting and entertaining Easter Sunday was at the Baccari house, unless they had ever attended the event.

Even though much of the planning and work that went into all of the elements that made up Easter at our house involved a lot of magic, the art and subject of it was forbidden for the entire day, as half of my relatives were Muggles and completely ignorant to the other world among them. This rule also ensured no – magical – cheating during the games.

Every year, our only requirements for our guests were that each family contributes to the potluck and donates five pounds to the prize money collection for the games. With these contributions, we were guaranteed to have loads of food for everyone – not to mention a reason to win all the games.

The most popular games were usually the children's egg hunt, tug of war, badminton, egg toss, a scavenger hunt involving guests' belongings for the kids (find the longest belt; find the biggest shoe; find the oldest coin), a basketball free throw shooting contest, and, of course, musical chairs. Musical chairs was probably the most competitive game that we played. James and I were actually the reigning champions from last year – we split the rounds up according to age and gender – but this year, we were both defeated; James by one of my distant cousins and I by Maddy.

The day was going by rather pleasantly without any bad incidences. The miraculous April semi-heat wave had seemed to have carried over from last night. The food was delicious. Everyone was having fun. The Marauders were having a great time, as usual, and Ian seemed to be enjoying himself very much. Though he mostly stayed by me or the other guys, he was good at chatting up my distant family members and family friends that he didn't know. It appeared as though the day was faultless.

That was, of course, until my sweet, dear fool of an oldest brother decided to be a git and challenge each of my friends to a quick one-on-one basketball game.

I hadn't been around when the challenge had been brought up, but I had instantly left my spot by the fruit salad to go see what was going on when I saw Ian rolling up his sleeves as he stood in front of my brother and checked the ball to Jarron. The moment I realized what was going in, I immediately assumed that Jarron had intimidated Ian into this. I quickly made my way to fill Ian's now empty seat next to Remus by the rest of the guys and asked to be filled in, never taking my eyes off of the game playing out before us.

"Jarron asked us if we wanted to play him in a game of one-on-one. None of us took the offer, but Ian did. He's pretty good," he had said, as Ian got a rebound, took it back, and made a shot.

Remus was right. Ian was pretty damn good at the sport. His form of his shots were cleanest I'd ever seen, he was quick, and he was smart with his moves. After every good move and shot he made, he would catch my eye and give me a sly smile or smirk.

I couldn't tell you how many times I had rolled my eyes at the fact that this was clearly their form of a pissing match. Boys and their undying need to boost their egos in the most ridiculous of ways…

I didn't think it was possible, but Ian had actually beaten my brother. It was a close game, but he had managed to reach ten points before Jarron. When they were finished, the both of them, out of breath, came over to us, shaking hands in a very good sportsmanlike manner.

I had expressed my astonishment and told Ian how impressed I was at his major skills, adding to the inflation of his already mammoth head. As I was giving my brother a consolation pat on the back, he pulled me aside and told me, to my disbelief:

"That was a good game. I'm impressed. I like that kid," which would translate to be is way of expressing his approval.

All in all, I would say that it was a very good time. By the end of the day, I had received three pounds – one from being part of the winning team of tug of war, one from winning the free throw contest, and one from winning the egg toss with my trusty partner Remus – and my eldest brother's – albeit unnecessary – approval of Ian Hayes.

* * *

The five days following Easter were just as nice and enjoyable as the beginning days of break. Jarron and his family had left on Tuesday, much to Jondi's displeasure, but Jayden and Maddy decided to stay at the house, even though they didn't live that far away, until Saturday – the day the guys and I were leaving, as well – so as to get to spend more time with us.

Over the past few days, I had cooked and baked more than I had ever cooked in my life; Ian, Remus, and I had taught the other pureblood guys the fundamentals of basketball; and baby Jaylyn had gotten a very nice treat, whether she knew it or not, when James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Ian had serenaded her in perfect harmonies with the Muggle song "My Girl."

Overall, the break was quite relaxing and very much needed.

On Friday night, the boys and I were sitting around the family room, again. All of their sleeping areas were already set up and we were just hanging out, lazily passing a Quaffle around, none of us wanting to go back to school.

"I say we all just drop out," Sirius suggested, passing the ball to Peter.

"I agree. I don't need to be at Hogwarts anymore, anyway."

"Yeah, yeah, we're all aware, Hayes," James said dismissively, catching Peter's pass and sending it my way.

I caught it easily and spun it a couple times in my hands. "I'll run away with you, Sirius. The others can cover for us," I teased. "Besides, James is Head Boy and Remus is an ickle prefect, so it is imperative that they go back to school."

James and Remus scoffed, the latter boy stealing the Quaffle from me to pass to Ian.

"Well, then, what about Pete and me?" asked Ian pointedly. "We're about as insignificant at Hogwarts as you two." He tossed the ball over to Sirius, completing the round of passes.

"You guys can run off together, too. I'm thinking, what? Paris? They do call it the city of love. And you two are quite a cute couple," I mocked, laughing at the increasing redness of Peter's face.

"Ooh! Thirteen shades of red!" James said, pointing at Peter's cheeks. "Nice, Sylly!"

I grinned, dodging the pillow Peter had thrown at me. My success in avoiding getting hit by the pillow was meaningless when Ian grabbed my arm and pulled me to him.

"I'll hold her down, and you tickle, Pete," Ian instructed, holding me securely, despite my efforts of getting out of his hold.

I stopped moving around for a moment to stare Peter down menacingly. "Don't you dare."

But dare he did. Along with the other guys, as well, who were supposed to be on my side.

"Guys, stop!" I managed to get out between giggles and gasps for breath. I wiggled around helplessly, trying to shove their hands off of me. The one bad thing I found about being the only girl in a group of friends was that I was always guaranteed to be the sole victim of a tickle attack. "You gits! I can't…breathe!"

"Hey, anyone want some of the leftover pie from the other night?" my mum called from the kitchen.

The tickling stopped abruptly, and as fast as one could say the word "dessert," the Marauders got up and bolted out of the room.

From all of my squirming while being attacked, I had somehow ended up sprawled on the floor with my head resting on Ian's leg. Once I had regained most of my breath, I glowered up at him, saying, "You're an arse."

He chortled, leaning back against the couch behind him. "Such a sweet mouth you've got on you. A real lady, you are," he said, his voice full of sarcasm.

I shrugged, coyly grinning. "I haven't been told otherwise." I sighed, finally back to breathing normally. "What are you still doing in here? Did you not hear my mum saying the word 'pie'?"

His own shoulders moved up and down with his own shrug. "Not that hungry," he murmured, looking down at me.

I stilled when one of his hands moved to brush a piece of hair out of my face. For a moment, we stayed there, looking at each other. A nice feeling entered me as we gazed back at one another, his hand playing with one of my curls. It was a feeling I had experienced before, but hadn't in a while. I enjoyed it greatly.

Eventually, I realized what we were doing and suddenly became uncomfortable. I blinked and looked away. Clearing my throat, I pushed myself up and moved to sit next to him, leaning back on the couch. I could feel his eyes still on me while I stared at the piece of thread I was playing with between us on the blanket we were sitting on.

"So," Ian began, "I had a great time, this week. Thanks for inviting me over."

I looked up at him. "No problem. I'm glad you came," I admitted, completely honest.

He smiled genuinely. "Though, as much I like and respect your dad, I have missed having you as a nurse for the past two Fridays terribly," he joked.

I rolled my eyes. "You've survived fine."

"I dunno, love," he said, his hand reaching over to cover mine that was still between us, "I could all of a sudden drop dead from the withdrawal from your authoritative demands to find my pulse." His smirk faltered when he saw my blank face. "What's wrong?"

Without thinking, as I stared him in the eye, I said, "Don't call me that unless you really mean it." I didn't mean to say it out loud, but nonetheless, it came out in an earnest whisper. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as I looked sadly at his slightly confounded face.

"Jenyse, I–"

I cut him off, slipping my hand out from under his and getting up swiftly. "I'm sorry," I apologized quietly. "I…I'm gonna go see if Maddy'd like me to put Jaylyn to bed." I fled the room without letting him respond, leaving him sitting there all flabbergasted, and entered the dining room, where everyone was eating pie and looking at pictures from this week.

After insisting to Jayden and Maddy that I wanted to take Jaylyn to bed, I took my niece and headed upstairs, avoiding passing through the family room. I entered Jayden's old room with Jaylyn in my arms and the bottle of milk that Maddy had been feeding her in my hand.

Jaylyn was still sort of awake, so, after turning on the light and shutting the door, I sat on the wooden rocking chair next to my old crib – which my dad had set up again and put in this room when Jaylyn was born –, cradling her as I held the bottle to her mouth.

"Alright, baby girl," I whispered to Jaylyn. "How's about a bedtime story?"

Jaylyn simply kept on sucking on her bottle.

"Okay, I'll take that as a go." I fixed her bib so that if she dribbled, it wouldn't get on her blue with white clouds footsie pajamas. "Ahh, let's see. There once was a girl named Jaylyn."

Jaylyn cooed softly.

"Yep, that's you, cutie!" I said, smiling, before getting back to the story. "Now, Jaylyn had a lot of friends. Most of her friends were boys, but she had no romantic interest in any of them. One day, Jaylyn met a new boy. He was very mysterious and was actually quite fit. Jaylyn became very interested and intrigued by this new boy. She met up with him every day, and at every meeting, the boy would give her a clue to who he was.

"Days past and Jaylyn grew quite fond of the boy, even though she still didn't know his real name. And on one particularly sad day, Jaylyn accidentally found out who the boy was – and, more specifically, _what_ he was. He was the spirit of a boy who was in a long, deep sleep."

My voice cracked and my eyes began to water, but I kept on.

"Jaylyn foolishly thought that the boy had been lying to her and that every kiss and hug and touch had been a game. Eventually, she came to her senses and accepted him as he was. It didn't matter to her that he was a spirit. He was all she ever wanted and time spent with him was her favorite part of every day.

"Just as Jaylyn began to give fully into her feelings, something horrible happened. The boy's body was dying. Jaylyn went to the hospital where the boy's body was and begged his spirit to stay with her. But as much as the boy's spirit wanted to stay, he was quickly slipping away. And just before he disappeared, he told her that he loved her."

A single tear made its way down my face.

"Jaylyn thought that the boy had died, but he hadn't – he was waking up. Jaylyn was ecstatic in seeing him alive, but then broke down when she realized one seemingly simple thing: the boy didn't remember her.

The tears were flowing freely now, some falling onto Jaylyn's little hand.

"And what completely sucks was that Jaylyn had fallen completely and utterly in love with him. And he told her –" a sob escaped me, "he said that he would remember! He promised that he would remember me!"

I completely broke down, hugging a now sleeping Jaylyn to me. As I rocked back and forth in the rickety chair, I sobbed uncontrollably as the tears kept coming.

"And now _he's_ here, flirting incessantly and shooting me meaningful looks and smiling _his_ smile and calling me "love" and making me so confused, feeling feelings I shouldn't be, when it _should_ be Alec!"

My voice gave out as I was overcome with sobs. My mind was so muddled with memories and questions as to why he ever left me and why Ian just had to come around at all, that I hadn't realized that someone had come into the room, until I felt a hand on my shoulder, making m

jump.

"Jenyse?"

I gasped at his presence. "Sirius!"

Sirius gazed at me concernedly, brushing some of my hair behind my ear. After a moment, because I was still crying hysterically, Sirius took the snoozing Jaylyn from me and carefully laid her down in the crib. Taking the bottle from my hand, he set it on the dresser before standing me up and leading me out of Jayden's room, and into mine. He shut and locked the door quietly and brought me over to my bed, sitting us both down on it.

He hugged me to his chest as he kissed the top of my head and made soothing shushing noises. He simply let me get all of my emotions out, waiting patiently for my sobs to die down. He silently pulled out his wand and placed a silence charm on my room, before finally speaking. "Alright, Jenyse, what's up? Did Jaylyn bite your finger? Was there a rainbow that affected you in some way? Any deep thoughts you want to share? Any profound realizations about life?"

I had felt no urge to laugh at his stab at humor. "Yeah…love sucks."

"Mmm," he murmured his agreement. After a short pause where neither of us spoke, Sirius persisted, "Jenyse…talk to me."

And I did.

Finally, after months and months of hiding my biggest secret from him and all of my other friends and family, I told Sirius everything. In between decreased sobs, I rattled on about how I had met Alec, how I found out he was a spirit, how we fell in love, how he woke up.

When I finished, Sirius was shocked – and rightfully so – and took a moment to let it all sink in.

"So, you're saying that this…Alec…was Hayes's spirit, whom only you could see, hear, and touch?"

I nodded, all out of sobs, the tears coming down silently and slowly, now.

"And Ian is now awake, alive, and well, currently downstairs in your family room?"

Another nod.

"So, when are you going to let your face in on the good news?"

I glanced up at him. "Sirius…he doesn't remember me," I told him forlornly. "He has no memory of our time together. After he promised that he wouldn't forget."

Sirius nodded, clearly still absorbing all that I told him.

After a while, I finally spoke again. "Sirius, I don't know what to do," I said in a shaky voice, referring to how to deal with Ian and my conflicted feelings on and for him.

He stroked my hair comfortingly before speaking, this time a little more carefully and seriously. "Jenyse…I–…I realize what you're probably feeling, and I completely understand and feel for you, but…"

I waited, watching him through tear clouded eyes.

"I dunno…I think you should maybe consider giving Hayes a chance," he finished honestly.

I didn't know how to respond to his words, so I stayed silent, waiting for him to explain.

"As much as my protective side hates to admit it, I think that Ian genuinely likes you," Sirius continued. "I can see through his flirting and advances. There are some definite underlying feelings there. I actually commend him for his patience with your reluctance to give in – which is now clearly justified to me.

"I mean, I know that it will be hard for you to ever move on and get over Alec, and I'm sure that it's difficult for you to hear this, but…I think that I would be right in saying that I don't think that Alec will ever be coming back, Jenyse."

Though I knew his words were probably right, I still felt a stab at my heart at the realization. I sighed and wiped a tear away.

"I think that it would be healthy for you to move on. You obviously have feelings for Ian – that was clear since the day he came back to Hogwarts and I've expressed my suspicions more than once –, so, why not take a chance?" He paused shortly before saying in a soft voice, "Jenyse, I think you owe it to yourself to just try."

Sniffing, I realized that Sirius was truly right.

"And anyway," Sirius added, "if Alec was Ian's spirit, then wouldn't they really just be the same person? Despite whether he shares the same memories or not?"

I thought about this deeply, considering this particular viewpoint. It must have been true. Alec and Ian shared the same spirit, the same personality. If I fell in love with Ian's outer bodied spirit, then I could accept Ian as himself. As complicated as it sounded, there was a simple solution that now realized that I was willing to take.

I wrapped my arms around Sirius's waist and embraced him tightly, extremely grateful for my friend. "Thank you, Sirius."

"Of course, Jenyse," he said, his lips against the top of my head.

Eventually, feeling much better about my situation, I fell asleep, held close in Sirius's arms.

* * *

"Jenyse?"

This time, at the sound of someone awakening me, I immediately woke up, stretching my arms over my head. Briefly wondering when Sirius had left my bed, I sighed and opened my eyes and was greeted with the sight of a familiar face with hazel-green eyes.

"Umm, it's almost 9:30. Your mum asked me to wake you up so that we don't miss the train. And, uh…it looks like you're up, so I'll just go back downstairs and let you get ready." He nodded and turned to leave.

Suddenly, my head was filled with the memory of what had happened last night. As I patted down my bed head hair, I reached out and grabbed his arm.

Ian looked down at my hand on his arm and then slowly turned around with a questioning look. "Yeah?"

I froze, not knowing what to say or why I had stopped him from leaving. "I– uh…don't need that much time to get ready. And I'm sure you've been dying to take a peek at my room all week," I said with a small teasing smile, silently begging him to stay.

He assessed my mood, a grin slowly growing on his features. He took a seat next to me on my bed, looking around my room. His eyes lingered on certain things, like my book-filled bookcase, the pictures on my desk, and – quite suspiciously – the top drawer of my dresser. "It's different from how I pictured it."

"Oh, really?" I asked, interested.

"Yeah. I imagined it bigger…with tons of Jason 'Stoner' posters all over."

I hit his arm with a smile, but otherwise didn't address his crack. "So, what do you think of the Baccaris?"

"Your family is the most wicked family ever. I can't even tell you how much fun this break was. Your parents are probably the nicest people I've ever met," he raved, completely sincere.

I laughed at his excitement. "Jarron actually liked you. We should probably get ready for the apocalypse."

His eyebrows flew upward, before his expression changed to looking impressed with himself. "Huh. I must've beaten him pretty well, in that basketball game."

"You mean pissing match?"

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing." I chuckled at his raised brow. "Jondi seemed quite fond of you, too," I teased, nudging him in the side.

He laughed loudly and countered, "Jealous, Baccari?"

I bit back my usual sarcastic reply, instead shrugging nonchalantly, saying, "Maybe."

His head swiveled to face me. "Oh, yeah?" he said half-amused, half-hopeful.

"Yeah," I replied softly, smiling down at our hands, watching our fingers that were slowly, but surely, intertwining.

* * *

**A/N: Soooo? I'm dying to hear what you all thought of this mammoth of a chapter. I actually got really sad while writing the bedtime story scene. Whew. I'm glad that's over with!**

**Oh, and a few things about this chapter:  
1. I realize that Chevy Impalas were probably not sold in England, so I hope you ignore that little insignificant detail.**

**2. The song that the boys sang to Jaylyn was "My Girl" by The Temptations/Otis Redding.**

**3. Molly Raesly, probably over a year ago now, made me a playlist called "Alec" of songs that related to my story. One song that I think you all should listen to is "When I Look At You" from the broadway musical "The Scarlet Pimpernel." (If you do take my advice on listening to it, look up the Linda Eder version! She's my favorite!) And as you listen to it, listen very closely to the lyrics and revel in the eeriness of how right it is for Nees's situation!**

**SO, please tell me in a review what you thought about: Jarron, baby Jaylyn, Sirius and Jondi's love affair, all the rest of Jenyse's family, Ian...anything and everything! I dare you to try and match the length of this chapter in your review! =D**

**THANKS again for reading (and hopefully reviewing)! See you at the next one!**

**~ Danica**


	10. Slip of the tongue

**A/N: Do not attempt to adjust your screen. This is an "A Spectral Memory Untouched" update. It will last exactly 13,965 words. It cannot be traced. It cannot be stopped. And it is the only Ian Hayes left on this website.**

* * *

Chapter 10: "Slip of the tongue."

Heavy tears filled my eyes and streamed down my face, as I screamed myself hoarse. There was so much noise; I could barely hear my own yells. So much was going on in that one moment, it was almost unbearable. I moved my hands so that they covered my face and sobbed uncontrollably into them.

This was too much. I could not believe it. I was in shock. This could not be happening. There was no way.

Finally, after violent attempts at wiping away the moisture from my face, I gave up, because the tears just kept coming right back. They still obscured my view, but I knew in what general direction I should be going. I rocketed towards my mark, and sure enough, despite my lack of vision, I reached my destination.

"JENYSE! WE DID IT! WE WON, JENYSE!"

This only made me sob even harder, as I allowed myself to get pulled into a cluster of six other bodies.

It was true. James wouldn't lie to me. I took a deep breath and tried to implant the thought into my disbelieving brain.

Gryffindor had won. We had won the Quidditch Cup.

My final Quidditch match in my Hogwarts career, and we had won it all.

"OH MY GOD!" I shrieked, in spite of myself. I couldn't breathe. All I could do was hold onto the other bodies around me.

Eventually, not letting go of each other, we lowered ourselves down to the field. The moment we hit the ground, disregarding my broom, I threw myself onto James, who caught me just in time. I hung on for dear life, scared that if I let go, I would wake up from this dream.

James picked me up and spun me around, yelling, "WE WON! WE WON! WE WON!" again and again.

I laughed through my blubbering, as, when we both suddenly got too dizzy from going in circles, we fell to the ground on our backs, next to one another. Just when everything stopped spinning above me, but before I could roll over and kiss James repeatedly on the cheek, a heavy body landed on the both of us. "Oof!"

"PRONGS! SYLLY! WE DID IT!"

Sirius, beating me to my own idea, sloppily kissed me _and_James each, on the cheek. After a few moments more of what he would call hugging – which entailed the strangling of James and me –, Sirius finally got off of us, pulling us up with him.

Once I straightened myself out and wiped Sirius's slobber mixed with my tears off of my cheek, I couldn't help but jump back on Sirius.

"I can't believe it's over!" Sirius exclaimed, catching me and squeezing me to death.

My arms tightened around his neck as I sniffled against his shoulder. "Me neither! I don't think I can live without being on a team with you and James, Sirius!" I told him, as he set me down in front of him.

Sirius smiled down at me sadly, brushing away some of my tears with his thumb. Instead of responding, he pressed his lips to my forehead. We stayed like this until we were ambushed by other team members.

"Jenyse!"

"Benjy!" I disentangled myself from Sirius, after giving him another quick squeeze, to hug the boy who ultimately got us the win by capturing the Snitch. "You were _amazing_, Benj! That catch! You won us the match!"

He beamed, but brushed the compliment off. He held me at arms length. "Rubbish! You, Jenyse, were – _are_– absolutely brilliant! Twenty-one goals! Unheard of!" he praised, making me turn away, blushing. "You could go pro, you could."

I rolled my still wet eyes good-naturedly. "Pfft! Not even. I couldn't imagine calling any other group of people my team." We grinned at each other before parting ways, searching for our other teammates. I spotted Colleen, my fellow Chaser, with Adam, Sirius's fellow Beater, and engulfed them in a group hug. Not long after, I left them too, to try to find our Keeper.

Seth found me first, coming up behind me and tapping me on the shoulder. "You were incredible, today, Jenyse!"

I laughed lightly, shaking my head. "_Me_? If you hadn't saved all of those goals that Ravenclaw tried to get past you, my goals would have meant nothing!"

Seth turned red at my praise. "It's been really awesome being on the same team as you. It sucks that we only had one year playing together."

His words were like a small arrow to my heart. I smiled sadly at the somewhat shy fourth-year, whom I'd always liked. "Hey," I said to him, "as this is my last year, I'm gonna need you to hold down the fort next year, yeah? Don't let Benjy or Adam do anything stupid, you hear? I'm putting you in charge of them."

He gave me a sarcastic look.

"I'm serious! Promise you'll keep them in line?" I demanded, ruffling up his sweaty hair.

A grin grew on his face as he nodded fervently. "Yeah, alright."

I beamed back at him as my heart broke at the thought of not being able to play another Quidditch match or have another Quidditch practice with him. "Good. Now, come here, kid." I pulled him into a hug and ruffled up his hair once more before he went to find our captain.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, I turned in my spot, looking around me. The whole field was crowded with crimson red, everywhere I turned. Everyone was yelling. The ground must have been shaking from all of the excitement. The stands were almost all cleared out, the majority of the school population on the field. The teachers were still at their seats in the stands, Dumbledore standing, with the Quidditch Cup in his hands, smiling patiently.

It was then that I really came to the reality that I had, in fact, just played – not to mention won – my last Quidditch match. Coming into my final year at Hogwarts, I was aware that there would be plenty of moments during which the fact that it was all coming to an end would hit me like the Knight Bus. This was clearly one of them.

Quidditch had been a significant part of my life since I was young, playing in the wizard park near my house, with my siblings. Jarron and I always played on the same team against Jayden and Jace. Quidditch brought me even closer to James and Sirius. Quidditch gave me that feeling that I was capable of doing whatever I worked hard at.

My Quidditch team was my second family. Being a part of a team was one of my favorite things about Hogwarts Quidditch. And now I was leaving it. My team. My family.

I decided then to bring up the proposition of joining a local Quidditch league to James and Sirius once we graduated.

Again, wiping away fresh tears, I maneuvered my way through the crowd, trying to find James. At last, I spotted him, snogging Lily, near our pile of forgotten brooms. Just as I was about to call out to him, I was grabbed and embraced from the back. Laughing, I turned in the arms around me, expecting Remus or Peter, but coming face to face with Ian Hayes. My features breaking into a grin, I flung my arms around his neck.

Pulling back, but still keeping me in his arms, he saw the tear streaks on my face. His eyebrows drew together with concern. "Jenyse, are you alright?" One of his hands came up to dry my cheek.

Slightly embarrassed, I brushed his hand away, which went back to its place behind me. "Sorry. It's stupid. I'm just sad that it's over. I mean, what am I to do without Wicked Wanton Wednesdays?"

Ian chortled. "If I had known you could fly like that, Baccari, I wouldn't have been secretly rooting for my own House, even though I've been playing the spy and helping Gryffindor."

I scowled, hitting him hard on the chest, knowing it wouldn't faze him. "Liar. I know about the wagers you've been making around the school, Hayes. 11 galleons on a Gryffindor win, right?"

He shrugged with no trace of shame in his smirk, not taking his hands off of my back. "Yeah, well, what can I say? I'm kind of taken with one of their Chasers."

I rolled my eyes, removing his arms from around me. "Well, I'll be sure to tell James of your feelings about him. I need to pry him off of Lily, anyway, so we can go get the Cup. McGonagall looks about ready to snatch it out of Dumbledore's hands." Giving him one last smile, I left him to go get James.

McGonagall burst into tears as James, Sirius, and I raised the Quidditch Cup above our heads, our arms around each other. The mass of red cheered as the three of us started a chant of, "GRYFFINDOR! GRYFFINDOR!" Looking out over the crowd, I caught Ian's eye. I stuck my tongue out at him playfully, and he reciprocated the gesture, down below. We seventh-years passed the cup to Colleen, Adam, Seth, and Benjy, and then to McGonagall, who hugged it to her, as though it was her child.

After a bit more celebration, back on the field, the team and I excused ourselves to the locker rooms. Inside, James gave us a teary-eyed speech, causing me to weep on Sirius's shoulder. With a final team group hug, before hitting the showers, we all yelled out our "Gryffindor" chant.

Once everyone was all cleaned up, we all walked, arm in arm, as a team, all the way up to Gryffindor Tower, where we were bombarded with more cheers and hugs right as we entered the full common room. The walls were adorned with Gryffindor flags and oversized team photos. There was the customary Gryffindor-win-buffet-table, covered with more than enough food for the whole of Gryffindor House.

Before I could even think about grabbing a plateful of food to soothe my growling stomach, I was pummeled, almost to the floor (thank you, Sirius and Adam for catching me) by two unidentified bodies.

"JENYSE!" two male voices roared in my ears.

"We couldn't find you on the pitch!"

"Then we had to come back up here to set up!"

"You know how much everyone counts on us to provide the food!"

"But we were so upset we couldn't congratulate you right after the match!"

"We saw Sirius–!"

"And James–!"

"That was before he and Lily had started sword fighting with their tongues."

"But, Jenyse–!"

"You were awesome!"

"Unbelievable!"

"Wicked!"

"Incredible!"

"Moony! Wormtail! Let the girl breathe!" I heard Sirius say, over my booming laughter.

"Oh!"

I felt both boys release me, just to engulf me, yet again, between them. Once I was let go, for real this time, I grinned at them both. "Thanks, guys! Ugh, I love you guys!" I couldn't help gushing, pulling them back in for another hug, with Sirius and James, coming out from nowhere ("Sylly sandwich without the most important Marauder?!"), joining.

Finally, we broke apart, each boy leaving me with a final squeeze or kiss on the cheek, but my lovely Remus. "Two-hundred-and-ten points," he articulated slowly, as he led us to the food. "Ridiculous." He shook his head, handing me a plate and picking up two glasses of firewhiskey. Though, I never really drank anything remotely stronger than butterbeer, I didn't protest – we had just won the Quidditch Cup, after all.

"I just hope James isn't upset that I scored more than him. I tried passing to him so that he could take a shot, but he just kept passing it back."

"Well, that's James. He wouldn't have it any other way," Remus assured me with a sort of admiration for our friend's selflessness.

He was absolutely right. James was a great captain and the perfect friend. I couldn't help but envy Lily for how lucky she was.

"Hey, is Ian around?" I asked Remus, piling mashed potatoes upon mashed potatoes onto my plate.

"Yep. Last time I saw him, he was talking to Lily, over by that window." He pointed.

On my tiptoes, I could see the top of his slightly spiked, light brown hair. "Mm. I see him," I said, around the fork I held between my teeth.

Remus chuckled at me struggling with the fork in my mouth, the plate in my hand, and the pudding I was trying to spoon onto my already full plate. "Here." He took my plate, handing me the two glasses of firewhiskey, and pulled the fork out from my teeth, placing it on the plate.

We continued down the line of food, Remus putting whatever I told him to put on my plate, as we talked of the more exciting moments of the match. When I decided that Remus had gotten enough food for me, we strolled over to Ian, who scooched back against one side of the window, leaving one leg propped up against the glass, and the other dangling off the sill. His new position gave me some room to sit.

Assuming he had already eaten, I let him hold my drink and traded Remus his firewhiskey for my food. Remus stayed to chat with us for a while, until he spotted Sirius dancing on top of a coffee table, surrounded by sixth-year girls.

"Ugh, Sirius…why?" he muttered, taking a swig of his drink. "Alright, I've got to go save him from even more humiliation. Marauder code," he added to Ian's and my sniggers. "Just in case I don't see you again, while still sober…" He made Ian take my plate, so he could pull me off of the window sill, hug me yet again (I wasn't complaining – I loved all the hugs I was getting today!), and whisper in my ear. "Terrific job, today, Jenyse. It was an amazing season. Congratulations, love."

I smiled into his chest. "Thanks, Remus."

With one last kiss to my head and a muttered goodbye to Ian, he left to go take care of Sirius.

I went back to my place in front of Ian's propped up leg on the sill, and took my plate Ian handed back to me. "So, Assistant Coach Hayes," I started, nudging his leg behind me, "what'd you think of the match?" Normally, I hated speaking about the match right after having played in it. In fact, I usually sat and ate alone during our victory parties. But I hadn't forgotten Ian's fury after our last match in March – really, I was just hoping for his approval.

"Merlin!" he began, suddenly excited, as he dove into detail on every great move made with big, animated hand movements. "That save that Seth made against Maverick, when he almost fell off his broom, but managed to kick the Quaffle away with the tip of his foot? And that double Bludger hit from Sirius and Adam aimed at Winchester! I told James it would work! Oh, James! His passing was superb today! Colleen was flying amazingly, too! But, damn. That catch by Fenwick. Unbelievable. Really. Who knew the kid was that talented? Never have I seen a Seeker feint or dive like that." He sat back, shaking his head in awe at the memory of Benjy's finest moment.

Though I was highly pleased at his enthusiasm and approval of the team's efforts, I had to admit that I was sort of stung.

"What's with the poop face?"

"And I was an excellent benchwarmer, was I?"

"Oh, were you there?" he quipped flippantly.

I made a face at him, which he simply laughed at, throwing his head back.

Once he had sobered up, his features grew sincere. "Seriously, Jenyse. You were mind-blowing today. I swear, that move you made on your twelfth goal was insane! You've got to teach me that some day. And that fake and roll? Bloody hell!"

Positively glowing, I smirked, saying, "Teach you my moves, Hayes? You really think you can handle them?"

Ian scoffed with a raised brow. "Handle them? I could definitely do more than handle them."

"Hah. Right."

His eyes narrowed. "…Alright. I change my mind. You were horrible. Despicable. You flew positively terribly, Baccari."

A grin grew on my lips and I straightened up, brightly saying, "Why, thank you! That's awfully kind of you, Mr. Hayes."

Laughing, Ian uttered, "You, Jenyse Syl Baccari, are incredibly odd," making my grin grow wider.

I moved my gaze to peer around the room. I saw Colleen and Adam sitting in the same armchair, Seth sitting and laughing with a group of his friends, and Benjy diving onto a couch, evidently reenacting one of his feints he had executed during the match. "Does it get any easier?" I could feel Ian watching me out of the corner of my watering eye.

"Honestly? Yes and no."

My eyes searched his hazel-green ones. "What do you mean?"

He heaved a sigh. "Eventually, you come to accept that your Quidditch days are over and there won't be any other chance of ever returning to Hogwarts Quidditch. But there's always a part of you that will always miss it all: the team effort, the cheering crowd, the thrill of saving one more goal – or, in your case, making a goal. It's tough, but it's just something that you have to let go and move on."

I nodded, sniffing and clearing my throat, ready to change the subject. "So, did you get that money _I_won for you from the blokes stupid enough to bet against Gryffindor?"

"Ooh, thanks for reminding me. I'll have to hunt down Deering and McCoy tomorrow."

"Deering?" I repeated, suddenly affronted. "Kent Deering bet against Gryffindor? Kent Deering, the Quidditch commentator?"

"That's the one."

"The git! He always roots for us when he commentates!"

Ian laughed at the look on my face. "If it makes you feel any better, it took a lot to get him to take the bet, with him going against Gryffindor. So, apparently, he's a git _and_an idiot."

I snorted. "So it seems."

After a brief silence, Ian turned, leaning toward me, and said, "You really were incredible today, Jenyse."

I blushed with a growing smile on my lips as I glanced up and pushed his shoulder away. I made a show of rolling my eyes, though his words pleased me to no end.

A low, husky laugh escaped his lips. He leaned back against the wall again. "You want some more?" he asked, gesturing to the now half-empty plate I was eating from.

I shook my head quickly and my hand flew to my almost-full stomach. "Uh-uh. This is more than enough. Remus and Peter really outdid themselves today."

"Oh, sure. Give me no credit."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, sir. I wasn't aware of your helping hand," I drawled theatrically.

Ian chuckled, ignoring my glare as he took a sip of my drink.

I snatched the glass from him, taking my own sip, reveling in the burning sensation making its way down my throat, before handing the glass back for him to hold. We sat in a comfortable silence, as I continued to eat. While we watched Sirius wrestling with Remus and Peter laughing nonstop, more than likely due to the alcohol he had consumed, we were simply enjoying one another's presence.

Over the past four weeks since Easter break, the number of awkward silences shared between Ian and me had decreased, and had been replaced with a number of comfortable ones. We spent more and more time together, more significantly without extra company. I was becoming more and more accustomed to calling him a friend. I found that he really did belong in our group of friends. Really, it was nice to have someone around who wasn't around for our embarrassing early years at Hogwarts and who was in with, yet slightly on the outskirts of the famous Marauders, who had their own secrets and adventures they shared once every month – not that Ian knew anything about that.

Ian and I were getting closer and closer each day. I didn't even mind the Friday checkups much, anymore. Our relationship was…comfortable. And, frankly, I liked it that way.

* * *

As N.E.W.T.s were drawing closer and closer, much to every seventh-year's distress, I didn't have much time to be saddened over the end of Quidditch. Even the teachers seemed to be getting stressed out about the coming exams, trying their best to fit in everything they could into every lesson to better prepare us students. Every moment that I wasn't in class, I was studying. Nothing seemed to want to stick in my brain, though. I could barely remember an ounce of information, even after having read over a paragraph twenty thousand times. It didn't matter where or who with I was studying.

Needless to say, stress and Jenyse Baccari didn't mesh very well. Though I never would have guessed nor believed it at the time, N.E.W.T.s proved to be way more taxing than the O.W.L.s were in fifth year. I remembered quite clearly the time I had spent a whole night in the then fifth-year boys' loo, hugging the toilet while Sirius held back my hair, James held my hand, Remus used a cold wet towel to dab at my forehead, and Peter patted my back.

While this year was double the amount of pressure, I had assured the boys that there would absolutely not be a repeat of that horrible, horrible night. I was well capable of handling the stress now, after having experienced the whole O.W.L.s fiasco.

Or so that was what I kept telling myself. To save our sanity, James and I had decided on J-Time flying breaks, every now and then between intense study sessions. It was before one of these much needed breaks that I had a rather insightful conversation with the lovely Lily Evans.

"Hey, Lily, have you seen my broomstick?" I asked her, as I cased the room for said broom. "I swear I left it against the wall next to my dresser, the last time I used it." My hands found my hips as I tried to remember ever having moved it.

"Oh," she replied, looking up from the novel she read as her own break from studying, "I put it under your bed–"

"You _what_?!" I dashed to my bed and fell to my hands and knees to salvage my poor broom, now probably all covered in dust bunnies, tigers, and hippogriffs.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't think you'd want it lying around," apologized Lily earnestly, her voice full of worry. I heard the sound of the pages of her book against her bedspread and the creaking of her mattress as she swung her legs off its edge.

Pulling my poor, poor baby out, I looked it over for any damage and dusted it off gently. Once I was convinced it was okay, I looked up at Lily and grew red in embarrassment at seeing the anxiety in her face. "No, no, Lily. It's fine. Sorry for freaking out like that. Heh." I was such an idiot. "Just, er, don't do that to James, yeah? He may have a conniption. Uh, Lily? You alright?" I asked hesitantly at the new expression on her face.

"Huh?" Her eyes snapped to mine as she came out of her trance. "Alright? Yeah, I'm alright. Sorry. Again. About moving your broom."

"It's alright, Lily, really. I've just got this thing, lately – an obsession, really – with any of my Quidditch equipment. I'm thinking it's part of my withdrawal," I admitted. "Anyway, I'm off to the pitch with James."

The same look returned to Lily's face as she dazed off.

Oh. Figures. "Lily?"

"Yeah?"

"_James _and I are going to the pitch?"

"What? What is it?" she asked a moment later, when she realized I was sniggering to myself.

"Lily. The two of you have been going out for about five months now. Don't you think it's well past the swooning-at-the-sound-of-his-name stage?"

Lily grew redder than the sheets on all of the beds in the room. "Oh, Merlin, was I doing it again?" Her hands flew up to cover her face when I nodded with a smirk. "Bloody hell. I'm sorry. It's so weird. I feel like I've gone back to the first week we started dating, lately."

I snorted, but instantly apologized for it, since it seemed to have frightened Lily even more. I moved to sit on my bed, across from her, setting my broom horizontally on my lap. Heaving a great big sigh, knowing I was going to regret this soon, I demanded, "Spill."

"My sister's getting married."

I had to rewind and playback what she had just said in my head before I came to the conclusion that I had heard correctly. "Surely not to that whale of a man…no offense," I added quickly, even though Lily herself had branded her sister's boyfriend – now fiancé – the accurate title.

"None taken," she grumbled. "I just got a letter today from dear Petunia informing me of the engagement and telling me I'm to be her maid of honor. No doubt my mum forced it upon her." Lily sighed and fell sideways against her pillows.

"I'm sure deep down she'll be glad to have you as her maid of honor," I assured her soothingly. "And don't worry. I've gone through two weddings in the family. Granted, they were both boys, but it went pretty well. And you've always got the wedding reception to look forward to." I chuckled to myself, thinking back to Jarron's and Jayden's receptions. Jace plus an open bar at a Baccari wedding party usually resulted in her flirting relentlessly with some guy until Aunt Stella, who served as our own personal family tree tapestry, would introduce them as distant cousins.

Lily laughed half-heartedly. "I suppose."

"Wait," I said, realizing something, "er, what does this have to do with James?"

A dazed smile grew across her lips as she brought her legs up to her chest and hugged them. "I dunno," she replied. "This whole wedding business has just got me thinking about James a lot. Oh, I don't expect him to propose anytime soon! Certainly not. We've still got to graduate and find jobs, not to mention pass our N.E.W.T.s. It's just exciting to think about the future, isn't it?" There was a kind of excitement in her voice, and there was a sort of glint in her green eyes.

I chortled at her, getting up. I had kept James waiting long enough.

"I think I love him."

My eyebrows shot up at her declaration. "Well, that was the least shocking news of the day; even more so than Petunia and the Orca tying the knot."

"What?"

I rolled my eyes, sighing. I crossed over to the side of Lily's bed and looked down at her. "Of_course_you love James." I pulled her up into a sitting position in front of me. "The way you look at him; the way you swoon at the sound of his name; the way you smile every time he so much as touches your hand, let alone puts his arm around you. You two have acted like an old married couple since day one. And it's no wonder why you love him – James is an amazing bloke. He's incredibly thoughtful, hilarious, and, most of all, loyal as anything to anyone he calls his friend," I raved. James had been my best friend – and practically brother – for years. There wasn't a thing about him that I didn't love or accept. Lily was the luckiest girl alive.

Lily grinned widely and even started to giggle a little. "You're absolutely right. James is amazing." She stood up suddenly and hugged me, catching me off guard.

I patted her back awkwardly, laughing slightly. Lily and I had become good friends over our last term at Hogwarts, but we had never done more than high-five one another, let alone hugged. All of a sudden, I realized how much I'd miss her when we all left. That's it. I would set up weekly or biweekly dinners at my house, so that I could see everyone as much as possible, and everything would be fine and dandy.

Thankfully, she released me quickly. "Next time I'm with James alone, I'm going to tell him," she vowed, nodding her head determinedly.

"You haven't told him yet?" I exclaimed, shocked. "Five months, and you, Lily Evans, haven't told James Potter that you love him? You two are the most in-love couple I have ever seen in my life and you haven't admitted your love for one another. Wow."

Lily shrugged, assuring me that there just never was a "right time," to which my eyes rolled skeptically. Unable to take the daftness of Lily and James, I bid her goodbye, to meet the latter of the pair, broom in hand. As I was closing the door, I thought I heard Lily muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, "'Haven't told him yet'….Hypocrite."

I skipped down the stairs, finding James sitting restlessly against the wall between the two staircases. I pulled him up, ignoring his complaints of my taking forever. As we made our way out of the portrait hole, I said to him, much to his confusion, "Hey, just make sure I get the wedding invitation before I snuff it, yeah?"

* * *

_**Hey! Look!**_

I looked up from the ripped piece of parchment and checked the front of the room to see if Professor Jenkins was looking this way, before leaning forward and turning to look at Sirius, past James and across the aisle of desks. When he saw me looking, he winked and made a stupid model face with pouted lips and one raised brow. I rolled my eyes, on the verge of laughing; not really at the look itself which I had seen many a time displayed on Sirius's and James's faces, but more at the complete randomness of the act. I flattened out the parchment on top of my Defense Against the Dark Arts notes, dipped my quill in ink, scribbled a reply, and silently banished the note back to Sirius's desk with a discreet flick of my wand.

_You're ridiculous. Was it really necessary to interrupt my learning how to defend myself against the arts of darkness just to try to seduce me with your model face?_

_**Did it work?**_

_I think I'd do better with a defense class against your stupidity. Now, leave me alone and pay attention. You're not getting my notes._

_**Aw, don't be like that, Sylly. I want to talk to you.**_

"What are you two doing?" James whispered to me, glancing sideways to try and read the note.

"He's trying to get me to give him my notes," I told him quietly, advising him to pay us no mind and continue listening to Jenkins explaining the difficult, yet easiest, way of defeating a giant.

A little guilt entered me from lying to him. The truth was, I didn't want James reading the conversation Sirius and I were having. I knew what Sirius meant by "I want to talk to you." He had started notes and conversations with that very sentence plenty of times, over the past month.

Ever since I had spilled my heart out to him on my bed in my room on that last night of Easter break, Sirius had been checking up on me every once in a while, making sure nothing else had happened and that I was emotionally okay. He usually caught me off guard, like he had just done, but there really hadn't been much to report. Since then, I'd told him about Ian and I holding hands as we talked the morning after my cryfest and how well it had been going between the two of us ever since. There was neither any significant progress nor regress. Everything was absolutely fine.

Heaving a sigh, I wrote,

_Everything's fine, Sirius. Really._

_**I'm not talking about Hayes, Jenyse. I'm always watching you two, even if you don't know it. Any luck with Decker?**_

Oh yeah. Seeing as we were already knee-deep in painful subjects, I had also told him about Travis. My affection for Sirius grew a considerable amount when I admitted to him that Travis and I had kissed and he didn't so much as tease or yell at me for sticking my tongue down the throat of the boy he hated most, only after Snape and I assumed his little brother Regulus. His only reaction was to comfort me and apologize on behalf of Travis's having the audacity of pushing me away and persisting to alienate me even after over two months. It was a true sign of Sirius's love and friendship that he continued to support my wanting to clear things up with Travis and get him back in my life. I really didn't want to graduate Hogwarts without at least one final hug from my best friend.

Honestly, lately, I hadn't really bothered putting any effort into making up with Travis. Of course, I really wanted him to forgive me, but I had really tired of the guilt and my lone effort of getting us back to our old level of friendship, once again. Frankly, it was getting quite annoying that it was taking so long. I had long since overcome the guilt – I didn't even flinch anymore at the sound or sight of him entering a room –, finally convinced that it wasn't my fault that I had different feelings from Travis (which I accredited to Sirius and his words of advice), and had come to the realization that he was being a ruddy thick git for ignoring me for so long.

But as much as I repeated to myself that Travis was being a prat, I couldn't bring myself to make a move and face him first.

_No._

_**No offense, Jenyse, but he's a real arse for treating you like this. You sure you don't want me to hex him? I could do it right now. I've got a clear shot of him. He won't even know what hit him.**_

I glanced around at Sirius who was making an act of sizing up his would-be target and followed his gaze to the back of Travis's blond, curly-haired head, a couple rows in front of me.

_As much as I would love letting you have your fun, I'm going to have to decline the offer. Thanks anyway, love. I just hope he'll come around eventually. Preferably before we leave this place._

_**If he really cares for you, he will. I promise.**_

I smiled down at the little moving drawing Sirius had made underneath his reassuring oath. The stick-figure Sirius, that had bumps for biceps that flexed, kept switching back and forth between a smile and a frown as it watched the thought bubble containing the word "Friends?" above the rather ugly stick-figure Travis disappear as it hugged the stick-figure Jenyse which had two oddly large circles about where its chest would be.

_Thanks, Sirius._

_**'Course, love. Now, how 'bout those notes?**_

* * *

"Moony."

Remus caught James's Quaffle that Sirius tossed at him.

"Please tell the class what…" Sirius flipped blindly through the pages of his Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook and then stopped with his forefinger on a random page which he read from, "a…boggart is and how to get rid of one."

"Hey," Peter interrupted. "No fair! That one's easy! How does he get _boggarts_and I get 'what was the name of the lead rebel in the Goblin Rebellion of 1612?'"

Ian shrugged guiltily, saying, "Sorry Pete." He gestured accusingly to the History of Magic book he had gone through to randomly choose a question when it was his turn to quiz Peter.

Sirius rolled his eyes, ignoring Peter's outburst. "Go on," he told Remus, who immediately and effortlessly rattled off the definition of a boggart and the way to defeat one.

There was a loud, low groan, and everyone in the group turned to look at James, who was sitting back against the beech tree we were all sitting by, with his head on Lily's shoulder.

"This is the dullest study session in the entire world," he moaned.

I had to agree with him wholeheartedly. Today was such a beautiful day that the seven of us just couldn't bear to ignore. The sun was shining brilliantly as it reflected off of the surface of the lake. But despite the gorgeous weather, we all knew that we couldn't blow off an entire day of studying, so we decided to pick up all of our books and create our study circle under the beech tree on the edge of the lake, after classes ended. It had seemed like an excellent idea at first, but the beauty of the day proved to make the lot of us even more irritable than the dreary and dismally depressing library.

Even the game we made with passing the Quaffle around to ask randomly picked questions wasn't cutting it. We were all just fed-up with bloody Mother Nature cruelly rubbing the fact that we couldn't take advantage of the nice weather in our pathetically miserable faces, the bitch.

"Well, do you have any better ideas?" Lily shot at him, nudging him off of her shoulder. She took the Quaffle out of Remus's hands and shoved it into James's stomach.

Glaring at her, he offered, "How about…Pete silently acts out clues and we have to guess what creature, or spell, or potion it is?"

We all agreed to try it out, much to Peter's disgruntlement.

"Go on, Peter," I goaded him, turning so I could lean back against Sirius's side and prop my feet on top of Ian's lap, for which I received two raised brows.

In response to my look that simply said, "Deal," Ian shrugged and proceeded to play with my shoe laces.

The corners of my lips twitched upward, as I turned my attention to Peter, who was pretending to slit his throat and walking around with his arms out and his legs stiff.

"Mummy!"

"Remus! Your mum looks nothing like that– Ow, Lily!"

"Uhh, a boggart of someone who's afraid of mummies!"

"An Inferius?"

Peter jumped up, breaking out of character, yelling, "Yes!" as he pointed at Lily.

"Inferi: dead bodies that have been bewitched to do a Dark wizard's bidding," recited James in a disgruntled and bored voice.

"Aw, come on!" Sirius complained.

"Sirius, you're never going to guess any of these right," I told him, still laughing at his guess. Three guesses as to which guess was his.

Sirius suddenly moved his torso backwards, so that the upper part of my back and head fell into his lap. He glowered down at me for a moment before reaching over to tickle my side.

"No! No! I'm sorry! Stop!"

A loud, pained grunt stopped Sirius's tickling and my squirming. I lifted my head a little to see Ian with his eyebrows drawn together, eyes watering, and hands over his crotch.

Barking laughter filled the air around me, but not from me.

Wide-eyed, I sat up straight with my hand over my mouth. "Ian! I am _so_sorry!" I tried removing my unintentionally sinful feet from his lap, but he held them still with one hand.

"No, no! It's fine!" he groaned out. He cleared his throat, shaking his head. "Fine. I'm good."

Blushing profusely, I leaned back onto Sirius again, careful not to move my feet.

"Nice going, Sylly!"

"Shut it, James," I muttered, glancing concernedly at Ian.

"It's alright. Really, Jenyse," Ian assured me, his brows finally relaxed. "Just don't tickle her again, Sirius, please."

Still shaking with laughter, Sirius managed to get out, "Sorry, mate!"

Once everyone had calmed down from the sudden – and admittedly much-needed – outburst, and Peter had gone back to acting out clues from our textbooks and notes, Sirius whispered in my ear, "Hope you weren't hoping for kids, love."

I effectively shut him up by elbowing him in the stomach, as the redness in my cheeks grew deeper, and returned to watching Peter.

Peter mimed opening a vial, and immediately the guessing began.

"Veritaserum!"

"Draught of Living Death!"

Peter took a sniff at the invisible vial and started batting his eyelashes, while clutching his heart.

"Amortentia," guessed Ian, who turned out to be right.

"The most powerful love potion in the world," I said, avoiding Ian's gaze and secretly not wanting to finish its definition. Thankfully, Lily came to my rescue.

"Pearl colored with steam rising in spirals," she stated with her study-face on. "It smells differently to everyone, according to what attracts them."

I was shocked when Lily chose not to announce to everyone what exactly Amortentia smelled like to her, either. I caught her eye and we smiled in understanding at one another. Really, I hadn't been in close contact with Amortentia since fifth or sixth year, but when I had passed by the Potions classroom just last week, I thought I caught three very distinct scents – two of which were definitely of lemons and coffee.

The charades study game continued on for another several minutes, but eventually, like everything else we tried, it soon grew lackluster. We finally stopped when Peter told us that he didn't know what to do to act out "hippogriff."

"Alright," Sirius said, gently pushing me off of him so that he could stand up and stretch. "That's it. I can't take this anymore. I need a break." He ran his hand over his face.

"Oh, thank Merlin," Peter and James, who jumped up, uttered simultaneously.

"Well, I suppose we could take a bit of a break," Lily slowly agreed, closing the open books in the middle of our circle.

"Well, then, what are we going to do now?" Remus asked, looking around for ideas.

"I've got it!" exclaimed Sirius, making a few of us jump.

"Uh, Sirius?" I said hesitantly, when he ripped off his shirt. "I don't think stripping is an approved activity on Hogwarts grounds."

"Oh, it's quite frowned upon," said James, "but you ladies are certainly invited – nay! _encouraged_– to break the rules. Don't worry; we won't tell." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Lily and me.

I glared at James, then turned it on Ian, who I knew was giving me his unrelentless onceover.

After laughing at James, Sirius made a face at me. "Very funny, Jenyse. We're going swimming," he informed us matter-of-factly.

James, Peter, and Remus suddenly perked up and big grins grew across each of their faces. They then followed suit, taking off their top layers, much to Lily's and my delight.

Sure enough, this wasn't the first time I'd seen them shirtless – they'd just been over my house for a whole week, for heaven's sake – but I couldn't help myself. Just because I considered the boys my brothers, didn't mean I couldn't appreciate what was underneath their shirts. I tried not to linger on James's abs for long, in respect to Lily, but didn't hold back on checking Sirius and Remus out…in the most platonic way possible when checking out a boy's form, of course.

"Like what you see, Sylly?"

My eyes traveled up Sirius's torso and found his own eyes. "Oh, yeah," I said, smirking. "Remus Lupin has got quite the bod."

"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed, offended and throwing up his arms, while Remus winked at me.

"She's right. Remus, if I had known…" Lily hinted, with a smirk of her own.

"Hey!" mimicked James, shoving a laughing Remus into the lake.

With several more cracks, splashes, and shrieks, Remus, Lily, James, Sirius, and Peter were soaked in the nice-temperature water of the Great Lake. Lily clung onto James's back, who kept suddenly going underwater, Sirius and Peter were wrestling one another, trying to force the other underwater, and Remus peacefully floated on his back, so that I had a nice view of his abs.

"Hey, Jenyse! Ian! You coming in?"

I turned to Ian to ask if he was up for it.

He was eyeing the lake warily, clearly content to be sitting dry on the grass than swimming soaked in the water. "Um, you go on ahead. I'll just keep studying here."

My gaze going back and forth between the boys and Lily splashing around, having fun, and Ian nervously picking at the corner of a book, I decided there would be another month's worth of days left to enjoy a final swim in the lake, before I was to leave Hogwarts. I did have to admit that I was more than slightly disappointed at being denied the chance to gawk relentlessly at Ian's shirtless body. "We'll pass," I called back to James, who shrugged and returned to splashing water onto Remus's floating face.

"Jenyse, you don't have to stay. Really. Go and have fun marveling at Remus's abs."

I snorted. "Oh, no, I can marvel at them from here. No problem." I laughed at the look on his face. "Anyway, studying would probably be a better idea. We didn't go over any Arithmancy notes with the group, since it's just James, Lily, you, and me who take it." I reached over and grabbed my Arithmancy notes to look over.

I was sure Ian noticed me keep glancing up towards the lake and its inhabitants, so I tried to stop. Denying his incessant offers for me to leave him and jump in the lake, I finally decided a relocation would be best. So, after informing the rest of the group that we were going to the library, we made our way back up the grounds to the castle. With one more glance back at the lake, I caught Sirius watching us walking before turning back to the giant squid the others were playing with.

"Hey," Ian started when we had entered the Entrance Hall, "I know you couldn't wait to get me alone to yourself, but you really didn't have to skip out on the fun."

I shot him a look at his dig. "Who says this is for you? This is all for the sake of passing my N.E.W.T.s."

"Yes, because an Outstanding in Defense Against the Dark Arts is such a necessity for being a successful chef," he countered, his voice positively dripping with sarcasm. "By the way, Chef Baccari, I think it's about time you made me dinner again. I still dream about that linguine and tiramisu you made at your house. Mmm." His hand went to his stomach as he daydreamed about my cooking.

My attempt at holding back a pleased smile failed, but I tried to make up for it, accusing, "I can't have one conversation without you resorting to talking about my food, can I? Oh, I'm sorry!" I readjusted the books that had almost fallen out of my arms.

The Ravenclaw girl, Desiree Elliott – whom I knew was in my grade, but whom I never really talked to – I had bumped into while turning the corner assured me that it was quite all right and continued on her way past us, after saying a friendly, "Hello, Ian."

"What, am I not allowed to have acquaintances outside of the guys, Lily, and you?" Ian asked in response to the eyebrow that flew up under my bangs. He smirked at my lack of comeback. "Anyway," he continued, his voice quieting to a whisper while he held open the door to the library for me, "I read once, in this book, that a guy should compliment a girl whenever he can, and your cooking is the best thing that comes to mind, since you seem to get so heated whenever I comment on your physical appearance."

I stopped midway through the door to glower at him.

He merely grinned his lopsided grin before applying pressure to the spot at the small of my back, where his hand was, to urge me to keep walking.

Whispering as well, so as to not have Madam Finn breathing down our necks telling us to shut our traps or get our bums out of her library, I snickered, "_You_reading a self-help book on charming girls?"

"Oh, Merlin, no," he denied, offended and seemingly disgusted at the thought. "I go for the good stuff."

"What? Trashy romance novels?" I teased jokingly. I paused when he didn't retort, my gaze snapping to his face. "No bloody way….Ian Hayes, you cheeky devil!" It was very difficult for me to suppress the rather attractive noises escaping my nose or mouth or both.

"Hey, don't you mock. You could learn a little something from them, yourself. I think they're actually quite helpful."

With a snort, I asked, "Oh, are they? So, these tips you've been picking up from _trashy romance novels_have been working, have they?"

Ian stepped in front of me, suddenly, blocking my path. He leaned close and whispered in my ear. "I dunno. You tell me."

I swallowed the saliva building up in my mouth, watching his every move. I watched him watching me when he moved his head back slightly to meet my eyes. It was when he blinked that I realized how much he was invading my personal bubble and how much I didn't mind. My breath hitched when my gaze fell to his lips, only centimeters away.

The one corner of his very close lips moved upward, bringing me back from my trance. "I rest my case." And then he moved away.

"You arse!" I hissed, hitting him with my books on his back, which was shaking with laughter.

He led us to our usual table towards the back of the library and we dove into our respective books.

"Stop," I muttered after twenty minutes of silence, not looking up from the paragraph that was telling me exactly what kind of child would come of a man with a Heart Number of two and a woman with a Character Number of nine.

"Hmm?"

"Stop it."

"Stop what? I'm not doing anything."

"Yes, you are. You keep staring at me. Now, cease and desist, if you please."

"What are you talking about? I am fully engrossed in my Transfiguration textbook."

I finally looked up, eyeing him with narrowed eyes. "That says Herbology," I informed him, pointing at the spine of the book he was standing up on the table, in front of his face.

He peered down, over the top of the book, checking the front of it. "Ah, yes. Right. So it does." He then laid the book flat onto the table and leaned over it, his bare forearms on top of the pages. "Hey," he started conspiratorially, "did you know that the bloke who invented handball was actually a Squib, who wanted to create a sport that was a variation of Quidditch which Muggles could play?"

I sighed and pushed my book away. Alright, well, fact was, I was having trouble paying attention to what I was studying, myself. I couldn't get the image of his face so close to mine out of my head. Either way, there was no point trying to study if Ian had decided that he'd given up on focusing. "Tell me, how is it that you retain those kinds of facts and not information that you will be tested on come the end of June?"

His expression grew defensive. "Hey, I know all of the important stuff that I need to know for my career. That's all that matters, isn't it?"

"Fine, then, what's the formula for brewing an antidote for a blended poison?"

Ian's features turned quickly into contemplative, and his hand went up to scratch the back of his head. His mouth kept opening and closing, giving him the appearance of a goldfish.

"That's what I thought." I pulled my book back towards me and tried to find the paragraph I was previously reading. I glanced up at the sound of the snapping of fingers.

"_The antidote for a blended poison will be equal to more than the sum of the antidotes for each of the separate components._" He smirked smugly. "Otherwise known as Golpalott's Third Law." He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair, all pompous.

My jaw jutted to the side, in my humiliation at being proven wrong. "I pity James Potter."

"What? Why?"

"For having to put up with tutoring you all term. You're impossible."

"Impossibly fetching!"

I let out a low, "Pfft."

"Come on," he leaned toward me again. "You know you're jealous. Admit it. Our Friday checkups just aren't enough for you anymore. You need me. You're as addicted to me as you are to coffee. I'm just too devilishly handsome and charming to resist."

"Could you tone down the magnitude of your ego a bit? I think it's too loud for a library setting."

He made a childish face, at which I sniggered softly.

After yet another attempt at getting back to reading up on Arithmancy formulas, which lasted for a solid twelve seconds, I slammed my book shut and pushed it so that it hit Ian's book off of the table and onto his lap. "Okay, should we even bother pretending like we're still studying?"

Ian put his Herbology book on top of my Arithmancy book. "I wasn't even pretending, anymore, but I think we should. It makes me feel a bit better about all the preparation I haven't done."

I rolled my eyes good naturedly, packing my things up. I got up and grabbed Ian's hand. "Come on. I'm starving." I saw him smirking down at our hands. I groaned an exhausted, "Ugh," throwing his hand away from me and picking up my speed, not even bothering to hold the library door open for him.

He caught up to me and matched my stride easily, still chuckling at my behavior. He dared to sling his arm around my shoulders, but I didn't shrug it off.

* * *

_Neesy!_

One more month, and my baby sister will be out in the real world. Please hold, while I send out warnings of your release to everyone on the planet. Just kidding, Nees. I can't believe how fast you've grown up. Now, if you're serious about this whole restaurant business, I believe there's a rule somewhere that says that the owner's oldest, most handsome brother gets free meals whenever he wants. So, speaking of your graduation, everyone's invited, right? You better alert all of Hogwarts for a Baccari invasion. I think it's Mum, Dad, Jayden, Jace, Alaina, and me coming. Maddy's staying home with baby Jaylyn and we'll be leaving Jondi and Jaysen with Alaina's parents (Jondi's quite upset about this, but I've been assuring her that Sirius will be at your graduation party, so make sure to not make me out as a liar to my daughter). So, how has N.E.W.T.s preparation been? Have you retched yet? How many seventh years have been sent to the hospital wing so far? I hope those boyfriends of yours aren't keeping you from your studies. Remember: school comes first. Well, family comes first. Then school, then professors, then Quidditch, then female friends, then house elves, then giant squids, then hippogriffs, then trolls, and then boys. Life lessons, Nees; listen to your big brother. Oh, yeah! Quidditch! Congrats, Neesy! Dad said you scored 21 goals? That's my girl! Give my congratulations to James and Sirius, as well. Sucks, doesn't it? I remember my last match; had a mental breakdown in the middle of the pitch. But you can always join some league somewhere, like I did. Alright, I must be off (Jaysen just fell off his kiddie broom –– experience, I say!). Remind your friends that I'm always watching them. And give Ian my best and my challenge of a basketball rematch. Write back soon!

Love, your darling oldest (yet, youngest at heart) brother, with newly acquired carpal tunnel,  
Jarron

P.S. Included are some pictures and a special note for Sirius from three guesses who.

"Anyone have a camera? I think this is the best face Jenyse has made after reading a letter from home."

My grimace turned into a glare directed at James. I turned to my left and was met with hazel-green eyes, dancing with amusement. "My brother," I grumbled, my face contorting once again, "gives you his _best_." My gagging motions caused Ian to laugh even more.

"You're serious?"

"No–!"

"Shut up, Sirius!" Remus cut him off, anticipating his serious-Sirius pun.

"Read for yourself. Right there." I handed him the novel-lengthed letter, pointing out where he should read. While he read, I fished out the photos and extra note from the envelope beside my plate full of eggs. The five photos included shots of Baby Jaylyn cooing with spit dripping down her chin, my beautiful baby (aka my car), Jondi blowing a kiss at the camera, everyone at Easter, and the four of us siblings at our family feast the night before Easter. "Here, Sirius."

Sirius stared, wide-eyed, at the parchment I held out to him. "That's not a bomb or anything, is it? There's no curse on it, specifically tailored to my genetic code, right?"

The rest of us laughed loudly at the expense of our dear friend's fear of my brother. Remus snorted into his pumpkin juice, and Peter got milk – which he was sipping from his cereal bowl – down his front.

I threw the note at him, and he let it fall on top of his buttered toast. "It's a note from your secret admirer," I ensured him, taking back Jarron's letter from Ian.

"That's not funny, Jenyse. Your brother terrifies me; you know this."

"Jondi, Sirius! It's from Jondi!" I blocked his line of sight with the picture of Jondi, for emphasis.

"Oh!" Sirius's face completely changed to joy, as he finally picked up the parchment and wiped the butter residue off of the back of it.

"Wait," Ian began, looking confused and somewhat offended, "I thought Jondi liked me too."

A smirk graced my lips, around my fork. I chewed and swallowed the breakfast potatoes before replying, "Well, seems as though she had her fun with you, but Jonds is just loyal to her main man. Sorry, Ian."

He sighed dramatically. "I think I'll be okay. She's just one girl. Anyway, I've got my own Baccari girl."

I chuckled and bumped into his arm with my own, and then returned to the rest of my breakfast.

As everyone listened to Remus telling his story about his Astronomy Tower duty he had last night, my eyes wandered around the Hall.

Without meaning to (at least, that's what I kept telling myself), my eyes landed on the face of Travis Decker. He was laughing and shaking his head at some joke. He looked happy.

Blocking my view, a Hufflepuff first-year dropped a plate full of breakfast potatoes and the two books he had been holding to his side with his elbow. With a sad sense of pride, I watched as Travis got up from the Ravenclaw table – at which he had been spending more and more time sitting, as if to fill the empty space Ian had left by sitting with us at the Gryffindor table every meal – to help him. I could see him whispering to the boy who reminded me so much of Travis himself when we had just become friends back in third year.

The boy smiled a shy, thankful smile, as a dark-haired girl I knew as our fellow seventh-year, Lena Margoulis, joined them, crouched down on the floor, and caused them to laugh at themselves as she used her wand to pick up the last few potatoes. She was really pretty, and I remembered her to have been at the "Travis Meet and Greet" I had conducted at the Three Broomsticks before Christmas break.

"You alright, Jenyse?"

Ian's voice and his hand at my back startled me back to my immediate surroundings. "Huh? Yeah." I smiled reassuringly at him. I took a sip of my apple juice, looking over the brim of my glass at Travis awkwardly patting the boy's back and then sitting back down at the Ravenclaw table with Lena.

* * *

The number '72' appeared on the parchment paper below the tip of my wand. I set the two items down to my left, and then turned to my right. But before I could complete my task of retrieving the vials of potions that had receded to just four since our very first checkup, I was grabbed by the hips by two strong hands.

"Hey! What are you–?"

Before I knew it, I was thrown onto the couch, and my previous place on top of the coffee table was replaced by a certain patient of mine.

"We're not done, you know?" I said, fixing the hem of my shirt as I glared for being manhandled.

Ignoring my fury, Ian picked up my checkup list, saying, "I am sick and tired of these checkups, especially since I am _completely fine_. No brain damage here." Apparently not finding anything interesting on the parchment, he tossed it to the side and refocused on me. "I think we should do a role reversal."

"What are you talking about, Ian?" I asked wearily.

"You know, a role reversal. It only seems right for me to practice being the Healer, as I'm striving to be one, and it looks like you're the only one currently available to be my patient. Now, take off your clothes."

A slight blush graced my cheeks as I pushed that thick head of his away. "Nope, there's definitely still damage in there." I went to grab the vials of potion in order to force Ian to take them so that we could leave, but he beat me to them and pulled them behind his back.

"Uh-uh, Jenyse. Come on, it'll be fun!"

All of a sudden, my stomach dropped when I started to see a change in his features. A sly smirk grew on his lips as he rose up a vial in his hand between us. This could not be good.

"Unless…"

I sighed heavily as I kicked back and propped my feet on his lap. "Here we go…"

After shooting a quick dirty glance downwards, Ian leaned in conspiratorially, despite what lay in his lap. "Either you comply and be my patient for the night _or_…you let me do something else I've been dying to do."

My heartbeat sped up slightly as I imagined exactly what that could be. Trying not to get ahead of myself, I countered with crossed arms, "Depends what that is."

"Fly."

"PFFFFT." The obnoxious noise came out of my mouth, my amusement overshadowing the ounce of disappointment.

"What?"

"There's no way."

Sliding out from under my feet, he placed them so that they were supported by the coffee table and then climbed over to take the spot next to me. "Come on, Jenyse! Why not?"

"Because you're not allowed to! Do you understand the fact that you were in a coma and the risk of you getting hurt again? No. I will not be the one to see you unconscious again. No sir." I sat straight up again, feet back on the floor, and reached for the vials again. "Take these."

Groaning, Ian snatched them all and downed them in one go. "Jenyse," he said, taking my hands in his, just as I was about to clean everything up, "I promise you that I won't get hurt. It's _flying_. I'm not going to do anything stupid or risky. Please."

The amount of drops created by my melting heart caused by the pleading face before me could have filled the deepest of ditches. This was not even close to being fair. "Ugh, fine!"

"YES!"

"But no crazy stunts and no more than 50 feet in the air!"

"Oh come on!"

My pointer in his face stopped him short. "Don't even, Ian Hayes. I mean it. My father will kill me for this."

Glaring momentarily as he sized me up and determined how serious I was, Ian finally said a terse, "Fine," and jumped up, pulling me with him.

We decided to pick up my broom first before heading over to Ravenclaw Tower for his and then to the pitch. I was pulled by the hand the whole way there by the two-year-old with whom I was unfortunately accompanied. We found James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter in the common room before Ian rushed me up the boys' staircase when I told him that I had been keeping my broom in the boys' room since the under-the-bed incident with Lily.

I climbed the stairs painstakingly slowly just to spite Ian. I opened the dormitory door to an empty room and went straight for my broom that was leaning alongside James's against the side of his dresser. Anticipating the bit of a chill I knew I would get while flying up high in the air, I crossed over to Sirius' trunk and pulled out a sweater.

Just as I was pulling it over my head, I heard someone stop at the door. I swung around, saying, "So I'm stealing Sirius's sweater. Sue m–"

"I could care less if you were stealing any of his things."

"Travis!" Twenty one shades of red graced my face while I quickly patted my hair down and straightened the sweater's hem. "Sorry! I…I thought you were…"

"No, I didn't realize anyone was in here either."

I paused and took him in. He looked good. Not that I haven't seen him every single day, but he didn't have that betrayed look in his eye as he stared into mine. He looked normal, like the day I met him, but somehow more mature since the last time we had a real conversation. I didn't know whether he was just being civil or waiting for me to get out of his room. Glancing away, I began to murmur, "I'll just get out of your–"

"How've you been?" he asked, still standing in the doorway.

Not only was he being surprisingly civil, he was being shockingly nice. The situation was only made further awkward by the physical distance between us. I didn't trust myself to move, so I used all my power to stay put and reply, "Good. I've been good. How about you?"

"Me too."

Feeling as though this was going nowhere, I decided to get out of his way. "Alright, well, I'll just go and let you have your room back."

He started, saying, "Right," and moved a little to the side to give me the space to exit.

But right as I was about to pass him, I was stopped in my tracks when he said his next four words.

"I miss you, Jenyse."

The shock that I was thrown in prevented me from breathing as I waited for him to say something else or make another move.

"I'm so sorry."

My vocal chords refused to react, so I forced my body to. Dropping my broomstick to the floor, I threw my arms around his neck. I didn't know how long this would last, so I held on tight. Tears of joy threatened to fall when Travis's arms engulfed and tightened around me.

"This has gone on for far too long. I can't stand it. I need my best friend back."

One tear escaped my invisible barrier when I heard the last sentence and a small sniff from Travis. "I missed you so much, Trav, I can't even –"

"Shh," he whispered soothingly as he pulled me closer for a second before pulling back to look at me. "Just let me get this out." He used his thumb to wipe away the drop of salty water from my cheek. "I've been the biggest arse to you, Jenyse. I can't express to you how sorry I am. As hurt as I was, you definitely did not deserve the way I acted towards you. There wasn't a moment that I didn't think about how stupid I was being and how much I wanted to be back by your side. I just felt like the hugest idiot and it looked like you moved on–"

Grabbing his face in my two hands, I cut him off. "Travis Decker. I could never forget or move on from our friendship. You were an arse, I'll agree with you there," pausing shortly, I received a quick chuckle, "but you know me; I can't hold a grudge for the life of me." I tried convincing him to believe every word with an earnest smile. "But now, I declare this to all be behind us."

A grin of relief appeared on his face. "Yes, please."

We held one another once again for a solid minute before stepping back.

"Well, now that that's over with…"

"Heh. Yeah. Thank Merlin." Travis looked down and picked off hair from his shirt. "Ahh, yes. Another thing I truly missed about you: the amount that you shed all over me."

I hit him softly on the hand that held up the hair, laughing at his antics. "I can't believe you missed Easter, Trav. Mama Baccari nearly broke down in tears."

"I know! That really bites. I'll just have to come over so she can see me again when we get out of here."

I beamed up at him. "You also missed musical chairs. I lost my crown. But, Merlin! My brother challenged Ian to a…." My eyes grew wide when I realized my slip. I dropped my head, not able to look into his eyes. "Sorry."

"No, Jenyse. It's okay." He paused and cleared his throat as his weight shifted from side to side. "Actually, there was something I wanted to tell you…"

Catching his eyes, I felt a crease between my brows from my curiosity.

"You know Lena? Lena Margoulis?"

"Yeah?"

He cleared his throat once more, clearly nervous. "We're actually, uh, together."

"What?! Travis! That's amazing!" I pulled him in for another huge hug, for which he laughed at me.

"Yeah, she's great. I'm actually supposed to meet up with her after I grab my Transfiguration notes." He gestured over to his bed, where a notebook and textbook lay.

Smiling brightly, I took his hand and squeezed it. "I'm so happy for you, Trav."

"Thanks, Jenyse. You don't realize how much that means," he said, returning the gesture. Travis then leaned down to pick up my broom for me. "You heading out to the pitch with Potter again?" At my look, he added, "Just because I live in this room, doesn't mean they don't stop talking about you. In fact, they probably talked about you more than they usually do."

With a nervous laugh, I apologized for my loving, yet idiotic, friends. "Um, actually, I'm going flying with Ian…"

"Oh." Another slightly awkward pause occurred before my best friend returned, saying, "You know, Jenyse, I'll never stop loving you. I'm happy, don't get me wrong, but the only thing I need now

is for you to be happy."

Putting the hand that was holding mine behind me, I stole one last hug and placed a kiss on Travis's cheek. "I love you, Travis."

"I love you, too."

After promising to meet for breakfast tomorrow, I headed back downstairs and was met by an antsy Ian.

"How long does it take to get a damn broomstick?!"

Momentarily ignoring him, I bee-lined for the back of a black-haired boy sitting on a couch and hugged his neck from behind. Kissing him swiftly on the cheek, I whispered, "Thanks for not breaking your promise, Sirius." I could feel him grin with his cheek against mine.

"I told you he'd come around. Love you, Sylly." Sirius moved his arms so that he was awkwardly hugging me behind him, making me laugh.

"Hey, secrets aren't welcome here!" James said, ruining the moment.

I chuckled at this and Remus's and Peter's shouts of agreement. "Don't worry, boys. I'm just whispering sweet nothings into Sirius's ear. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go betray my father and prevent this kid from pissing his pants," I said, throwing a thumb back at Ian.

"What was that all about?" Ian questioned as he forced me to speed walk toward Ravenclaw Tower.

"Nothing," I answered, unable to prevent the corners of my lips from going upwards as I tightened my grip around his hand.

Ian insisted on carrying my broom for me and brought us to a sprint to the other side of the castle. We both laughed the entire way, which added to our difficulty of catching our breaths when we got to a door with only an eagle shaped bronze knocker.

I had heard about how the Ravenclaw Tower permitted entrance, but I'd never seen it in action.

"Is a Knut shaped like a circle?" the bronze eagle-shaped door knocker asked us.

And I thought that Ravenclaws had to be smart.

I wasn't able to provide my smartarse answer of, "Pfft! Duh?" due to Ian's giant hand shooting to cover my mouth to shut me up. That git!

"No, because no real circle exists; only the form we perceive in our minds," said Ian, his other hand cradling the back of my head for reinforcement.

The knocker congratulated Ian on his wit and allowed us to enter the common room.

"Ugh!" Ian exclaimed when I took the chance to lick his hand. I was successful in my mission when he released my head and wiped his hand on his pant leg. "I'm sorry for wanting to get into the common room on the first try!"

Glowering at him, I just responded, "I thought you were supposed to have brain damage. How the hell did you know how to answer that?"

He sighed and led me up a set of stairs. "I'm a Ravenclaw for a reason, Jenyse."

I barely heard his retort. I froze by the door that Ian opened and walked through with ease. It didn't hit me until this moment that I was about to see the place where Ian called home. It almost didn't feel right for me to intrude on something so personal to him.

"Jenyse? What's up?"

My eyes went straight to Ian, standing next to his bed.

"Come in…they don't care."

Of course he had roommates. I, being an idiot, forgot this particular fact and suddenly felt a great amount more comfortable as I stepped in and allowed myself to scan the room.

It looked just like the Gryffindor seventh year boys' room, but decked in blue and silver and with an extra set of furniture squeezed in. It was also a tad less messy, which wasn't surprising, considering they didn't live with Sirius and Peter. Two other boys were in the room, one writing on a piece of parchment, the other feeding an owl that had delivered him a letter. I recognized the latter as the Ravenclaw Keeper, who I had gotten 21 goals past during the final match of the season.

"Damn, Ian. Took you long enough to bring this girl back to your room," said the kid with the quill in his hand. "You've only been around her every single moment of every day since you got here."

Laughing at Ian's blush to cover up my own, I moved further into the room and plopped down on his bed with one leg under me.

"Shut up, Ethan," Ian muttered, rummaging through his clothes to find a sweater.

"Oh, Merlin," his other roommate groaned, finally turning to look at me. "You just had to choose my biggest nemesis, didn't you? This feels even more violating than missing the Quaffle 21 times in one match. I'm sorry, Baccari, but you've gotta go."

I returned his playful smirk and leaned back with my hands propping me up behind me. "Oh, don't be bitter, now, Quinn."

"That's right!" exclaimed Ethan. "She's the one who beat your arse in the final!" He pointed mockingly at his friend, laughing hysterically.

Quinn muttered something about luck as Ian reassured him, "Don't worry, mate. We'll set up a rematch someday so you can win back your man card…maybe."

Making his way over to me, Quinn stretched out his hand and shook mine. "But honestly, I wasn't able to do this earlier, but you played an incredible game, Baccari."

"Aww, look at him playing nice," Ethan quipped.

"Our little boy's growing up!" Ian added, ruffling up Quinn's hair.

"Cut it out, boys," I told them, chuckling. "You're a great player, too, Quinn. We should definitely play a game of pick-up this summer. I can get the boys in on it, too."

"Yeah, definitely!"

"Okay," Ian cut in. "You two can stop making googly eyes at each other. We've got some air to dominate." He guided me out by the waste, making me roll my eyes as I called back a goodbye to my new best friends.

"Iiii like them!" I declared when Ian closed the door and we went down the stairs.

Ian shook his head at my goofiness.

We left the tower, but not before I caught a glance of Lena Margoulis rushing out before us, presumably to meet Travis.

Despite my protests, Ian carried both of our brooms all the way down to the pitch while simultaneously maintaining an arm around my shoulders. Ian grew more and more excited, the closer we got. Finally at our destination, he handed me my broom and I made him stop for another second.

"Hey, please promise me you'll be careful," I begged earnestly. The last thing I wanted was to see this boy hurt.

"Jeny-yse!" he whined. "I promise! Can we please get up there now?"

Rolling my eyes, I mounted my broom and kicked off, Ian following close behind, probably pissing his pants. I took my usual lap around the field, above the stands and looked back to see him following me. With a smirk, I sped up, challenging him.

Ian quickly caught up and we flew side by side for a while, giggling like children at each other's silly antics. We did a few harmless flips and dives and kept trying to cut in front of one another to make the other change directions.

After about an hour and a half, we ended up suspended in the air, in the middle of the pitch, facing each other and talking about nothing.

"Favorite food?"

"Steak."

"You're such a man."

"Hell yeah, I am! How about you?"

"I'm a girl."

Blank stare. "Before you really answer…food, not drink."

"Fine. Really simply made cheese ravioli."

"Biggest fear."

"Losing family."

"That's a good one."

"I'm sorry."

"No problem. Mine's–"

"Clowns."

Chuckles. "Hey."

I looked up from watching his hands play with my bracelets to see him still looking at said jewelry.

"You know that day everyone went into the lake and I opted not to?"

"Mmhmm?"

"I didn't want to go in because I get kind of nervous every time I get near the lake."

I was so stupid. Of course he was weary of the lake. If I had almost drowned in it on Christmas Day and fell into a coma for two years, I would steer clear of the water, too. I was granted a look into his eyes for a moment and suddenly came to understand that Ian was opening up to me like he probably hadn't done to anyone in the months since he woke up. Something in those hazel green eyes relayed a message even more than this, and I could only hope I understood what it was.

"Hey, Jenyse?"

"Yeah?" I whispered, realizing how clearly I could see each speck of gold in those revealing eyes, reflecting the light of the moon.

There was a crease between his brows. "Earlier in the Room of Requirement…did you say that you wouldn't be the one to see me unconscious _'again'_?"

Instantly, I felt an enormous lump make its way to my throat and make its home there. I couldn't believe that I had made that mistake. How could I be so stupid as to mention that I knew him before he could remember….

_Alec_.

An engulfing wave of guilt overcame me, and I was forced to avert my watering eyes. I tried to remember the last time I thought of him and felt even worse when I realized that it had to have been the night I had my cryfest in my room at home with Sirius. How could I have forgotten so easily about the love of my life? I should be punished. I should be killed. What could justify my hypocrisy of forgetting the boy I was so hurt by his forgetting me? Just because I decided to move on didn't mean that I had to forget him. There was no excuse. I was a terrible person.

But that was just it. I had moved on. I chose to see Ian as his own person and not blame him for something he had no clue about. He didn't know that while he was unconscious, his spirit was running rampant around the castle and just happened to be able to be seen by me. I shouldn't feel guilty for spending all of my time with Ian and enjoying his company without the thought that he should be replaced by my Alec.

Just like Ian said: "_It's tough, but it's just something that you have to let go and move on._"

Alec was gone. I had accepted that. And Ian was here. Right in front of me. Hand in mine. And close enough to….

Blinking slightly to rid of the excess moisture, I met his eyes again. "Slip of the tongue," I bluffed with a reassuring smile.

At the movement, Ian's eyes settled on my lips, and I saw his Adam's apple bob up and down. "What would you say to me using that statement to make a stretch of a segue?" he said softly, placing a stray curl behind my ear.

With a quick mental goodbye to the part of me holding onto the thought of Alec and a promise to always love him no matter what, I pushed away all feelings of guilt and leaned forward until my lips pressed against Ian's.

Ian's lips momentarily turned into a smile before they started moving against mine slowly and earnestly.

There was no feeling better than this, I was convinced. Nothing could top Ian holding my face as we kissed 50 feet in the air with nothing but the moon and stars to watch us.

Unfortunately, the necessity of oxygen conquered us and we rested our foreheads against each other's, both of us smiling giddily.

"You don't understand how long and how badly I've wanted to do that," he breathed, tracing my bottom lip with his thumb.

"What can I say? I'm irresistible," I quipped.

"No kidding."

We sat for a moment just looking into one another's eyes, both of us trying to express to the other exactly what we wanted and how we felt without saying a word.

Hearing a hoot from an owl somewhere in the distance, I looked around and was shocked to see that we had risen another 20 feet. "How the hell did we get up here?"

"Huh. Apparently even magic knows how magical that was."

My burst of obnoxious laughter caused him to eventually join in. "Oh, Merlin," I let out, gasping for breath. "You are such a dork."

Ian scowled, saying, "Shut up so I can kiss you again."

"Well, if you insi–"

And like that, I was overcome with the pleasure of Ian's lips on mine.

* * *

**A/N: That just happened.**

Hi guys. I'm sorry. I know. I should be shot. I should be killed. Avada Kedavra. Go on. Almost two years. My b. What can I say? I was in a weird funk and just couldn't write every time I opened the document. I will say that 70-80% of this chapter was written about a year ago. I just was stuck and couldn't for the life of me figure out how to write the rest. And then all of a sudden, sitting alone in my dorm, I was in this strange mood and finally had the urge to write. So I did. And a day later, I finished. I hope that at least one of you are still around to read this. I missed you guys. Also, sorry for the lack of responses to reviews. That'll definitely change now.

So. Yeah. That was the penultimate chapter. Just one more to go. Maybe before I graduate college. Haha.

I'm feeling so giddy right now, now that I've finished this monstrosity of a chapter. Tried to make it worth the wait. =P

Thank you for coming/coming back and reading. Please review! Favorite quotes! Favorite parts! Comments! Critiques! Favorite foods! Biggest fears! Anything!

Thanks guys.

~ Danica

P.S. 20 bucks to who understands the reference in my first author's note.


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